SOEs Minister Urges Pertamina to Maintain Fuel Supply

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir has urged state-owned oil company Pertamina to maintain the supply and availability of fuel for the next three days.

The government has tasked Pertamina with ensuring the availability of fuel supplies after the announcement of fuel price adjustment on Saturday afternoon, he said.

The minister informed that he has asked Pertamina's directors to be on full alert for the next three days to ensure the supply and availability of fuel at all gas stations.

"I hastened my return from the Netherlands today, as my responsibility. I have to make sure all runs well, especially regarding fuel availability. I also called Pertamina's directors to be on standby for the next three days to ensure that all gas stations have adequate stock," Thohir said in an official statement received on Saturday.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that fuel subsidies must target the right beneficiaries since data has shown that 70 percent of those who have enjoyed subsidized fuel are people who can actually afford full-price fuel.

In relation to this, Thohir urged Pertamina and state-owned telecommunications company Telkom to improve the optimization of the MyPertamina application as a tool for the underprivileged to access subsidized fuel.

Telkom is expected to repeat the success of the PeduliLindungi application with the MyPertamina app, he added.

"I will immediately conduct a meeting with Telkom and Pertamina regarding data synchronization. I will also ask the National Police chief regarding data on car numbers to synchronize data on the MyPertamina app," Thohir informed.

The minister said that he decided to hasten back from his working visit to the Netherlands, where he arrived on Friday (September 2). He was scheduled to attend a series of SOE cooperation agendas until Sunday. However, he decided to return to Indonesia on Saturday.

The visit to the Netherlands was aimed at encouraging SOEs to expand their network to capture economic and business potential in Europe after Brexit.

He urged SOEs such as BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia), BRI (Bank Rakyat Indonesia), Pertamina, PTPN, Mandiri, and Telkom to carry out several activities and breakthroughs at the international level, which can further strengthen Indonesia's standing in the global economy.

ANTARA

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