Golkar rejects fuel-price hike

JAKARTA. The proposal from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government to raise fuel prices is hanging in the balance with the Golkar Party now joining the political movement against the plan.

The decision by the Golkar Party was taken after party chairman Aburizal Bakrie was reported to have been furious with a statement made by the leader of the Democratic Party faction at the House of Representatives, Jafar Hafsah, who apparently misrepresented Aburizal’s statement about the government’s fuel plan.

Early on Thursday, Jafar said that Aburizal had approved the plan to increase fuel prices by Rp 1,500 (16 US cents) during a meeting headed by Yudhoyono with leaders of different political parties in Cikeas, West Java, earlier this month.

On Thursday evening, the Golkar Party held a press briefing to announce its new stance on the fuel plan, with the party’s secretary-general, Idrus Marham, saying that Aburizal’s statement was taken out of context.

Idrus also said that the time was not right for the government to increase the price of fuel.

“The Golkar Party feels that, for the time being, the government should not increase the fuel prices,” Idrus said.

Idrus added that since the final decision on the fuel price lay with the government, the Golkar Party would remain critical of the policy if it had a negative impact on the public.

Golkar’s leadership also decided that the government should maintain the energy subsidy and proceeded to instruct all its party lawmakers in the House to follow these directives during the crucial vote on Friday.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie said the decision on the fuel-price proposal would likely be taken from a show of hands by the lawmakers.

In the vote, lawmakers are expected to decide on whether to revise Article 7 of the 2012 state budget (RAPBN), which prohibits the government from raising the prices of subsidized fuel.

With the Golkar Party’s new stance, it will be an uphill battle for the Democratic Party to obtain approval for the proposal, given that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have already stated their intended opposition to the plan.

Responding to the Golkar Party’s 11th-hour decision, Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum apologized for Jafar’s misrepresentation of Aburizal’s statement and called on members of the ruling coalition to fully back the fuel-price proposal.

“We want members of the coalition to abide by our commitment to be more productive for the sake of the people,” Anas said in a press briefing late on Thursday.

Anas gave his assurance that the impoverished would be given compensation once the fuel plan came into effect.

Anas also said that Jafar had been relieved from his role as faction chairman and that he, together with party secretary-general Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro Yudhoyono, would directly oversee their House faction.

Earlier on Thursday, Jafar was confident that the Democratic Party would prevail in the vote for the fuel plan even if the PKS rejected the proposal.

“We can still secure around 65 percent of the vote, even though the PKS might finally decide to oppose the plan, as it only has 8.3 percent of the total 560 seats in the House,” he said.

The Democratic Party has 21.7 percent of the seats in the House, followed by the Golkar Party with 15.03 percent; the PDI-P with 14.6 percent; the PKS 8.3 percent; the National Mandate Party (PAN) 6.25 percent; the United Development Party (PPP) 5.33 percent; the National Awakening Party (PKB) 5.34 percent; Gerindra 4.6 percent; and Hanura 3.92 percent.

Responding to the violence that has been a feature of several protest rallies against the fuel plan,
Yudhoyono blamed opposition parties for inciting protesters.

“It is unfortunate that those people who are not in power took action to oppose the government. That is not the kind of politics that we want to promote,” Yudhoyono told a press briefing in Seoul, South Korea, shortly before departing on Thursday.

Yudhoyono has been in Seoul since March 26, where he attended the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.

“Demonstrations, protests, as well as any other kinds of organized dissent are guaranteed by the Constitution, but they must be carried out lawfully,” Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono and his entourage landed at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, from where the President headed directly to his private residence in Cikeas, West Java.

But officials said Yudhoyono wanted to be kept updated on the latest security situation from key Cabinet members, including National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Marshall Agus Suhartono, and Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto. (Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post)