Jakarta, July 10 (ANTARA) - The public, including students and the media must watch the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Fuel Oil Price Hike Inquiry Committee so that it will carry out its mission effectively.
Observers feared that the House Committee, whose leadership was inducted on Wednesday about three weeks after the House decided to launch the inquiry, would only serve as a means of politicians to gain popularity and to improve their image amid allegations of corruption that plagued certain legislators.
"Since the beginning, I have viewed the House inquiry merely as a political breakthrough for politicians in the House to improve their political parties' images," said Boni Margens, a political science lecturer at the University of Indonesia (UI)'s Social and Political Sciences Faculty, here on Thursday.
The House's plenary meeting last June 24, 2008, had agreed to use its inquiry right on the government's policy to increase fuel oil prices by an average of 28.7 percent. For this purpose, the House early this month formed an inquiry committee consisting of 50 legislators from all political party factions
In Boni Margens's view, the DPR's initiative to conduct an inquiry into the government's decision to raise fuel oil prices appears only to be an effort to improve the images of the legislators and their respective political parties.
Therefore, the public must seriously supervise the performance of the House's Fuel Oil Price Hike Inquiry Committee so that it would do its task in accordance with the public's expectations.
"The people must keep a watch on how the Inquiry Committee exercises the House's right of inquiry," Bergens said.
The inquiry into the government's fuel oil price hiking policy must be carried out transparently. Otherwise, it would only become a "political joke" and fail to provide a critical assessment of the government's policy in managing the country's energy sources.
"The inquiry would then only serve as a political commodity for politicians in the House. That's why, serious public control is needed," he said. Bergens was afraid the legislators did not really intend to make a critical examination of the government's policy. "That's why public pressure and control are needed.
Calls for supervision over the implementation of the inquiry were also made by former People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) chairman Amien Rais. He recently asked students and the media to watch the execution of the DPR's inquiry.
"I call on students and the mass media to keep an eye on the House special committee that will handle the inquiry so the initiative will not evaporate," Rais said.
Speaking to the press after participating in a discussion on the position and orientation of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members in the global Islamic community, he said, if not constantly watched over by the public, spectacular initiatives in the parliament often lost steam or tapered off before they had achieved anything.
"I hope the House special committee handling the inquiry will be able to bring to light all the scandals in the oil industry that have so far been covered up," said Rais who is also a former chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country.
In the meantime, Zulkifli Hasan, who was named chairman of the House Inquiry Committee on Wednesday, said the committee would work immediately. "I will not waste time. I will hold a leadership meeting tonight," Zulkifli Hasan, said after he was appointed chairman of the committee on Wednesday evening.
Soon after he was installed as the committee chairman on Wednesday, Zulkifli Hasan directly called a leadership meeting that evening to discuss programs and steps the committee would take.
In the performance of its mission, the committee has the right to summon anybody involved in the production and distribution of fuel oils to satisfy the House's need to know the reasons for the government's decision to raise the domestic fuel oil prices by more than 28 percent last May.
The committee will also study the actual conditions of Indonesia amid the world crude price hikes. Indonesia is actually an oil producing country but its abundant natural resources had yet to benefit the people.
In this case, the inquiry committee will study the possibility of an oil mafia which harms the interest of the people. It will also investigate alleged ineffective and inefficient management in state-owned oil company Pertamina, as well as possible corruption cases in the company.
According to Zulkifli, BP Migas (Oil and Gas Regulating Body) will become the focus of the committee's investigation.
The public has often voiced allegations on the existence of corruption in Pertamina and BP Migas. A finding of the State Audit Board (BPK) indicated that there were deviations in the state oil company.
The inquiry committee will follow up on the BPK finding. In this regard the inquiry committee will work together with the BPK and the Corruption Elimination Commission (KPK).
In the face of the inquiry, the government said it was ready. Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa told the House recently that the government was "not afraid" in the face of the inquiry.
The government raised domestic fuel oil prices in May as part of its efforts to reduce its increasing fuel subsidy amid the upward trend of the global crude prices which were hovering at US$120 a barrel, which could raise the fuel subsidy to more than Rp125 trillion, placing a heavy burden on the state budget
"We are ready... the government will respond to it," he told reporters.
The government will duly explain its position and reasons for raising the fuel oil prices while Indonesia needs 1.100 million barrels of oil per day, whereas its oil production is only 900,000 barrels per day so that it has to import 200,000 barrels per day.
After all, when the world crude oil price approaches US$150 per barrel, the fuel oil subsidy would reach Rp230 trillion in addition to Rp80 trillion for the electricity subsidy.
(T.A014/A/HNG/B003) 10-07-2008 22:24:04
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar