TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Aceh Oil and Gas Management Agency (BPMA) was established in March 2016, but it never once received an operating budget. BPMA chief Marzuki Daham hopes the operating budget can be disbursed this year.
According to Basuki, the BPMA has no employees and no office to work from. The agency has been in talks with the Finance Ministry since late last year, asking for a budget of Rp70 billion for 2017.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's secretary general Mochamad Teguh Pamuji said BPMA's proposed budget for this year has been approved and it will be disbursed in July.
Marzuki also asks the government to approve his plan to remunerate BPMA employees. Their staff's average wage, he said, is the same as government employees. "Meanwhile, we are required to have a position that matches that of the contractors."
As of 2013, Aceh has 150.68 million barrels of oil reserves and 6.93 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Eleven oil and gas blocks in Aceh are located in six exploitation areas and five exploration areas.
