Arientha Primanita, Farouk Arnaz, ID/Agustiyanti & Dessy Sagita

Indonesia is bracing itself for days of massive demonstrations in protest against a planned government fuel price increase.

On Monday, the House of Representatives Budget Committee agreed to set aside Rp 137 trillion ($15 billion) for fuel subsidies and Rp 64.9 trillion for electricity subsidies in the state budget, allowing the government to raise consumer prices for the energy sources. A plenary on Thursday will decide on any price increase.

The government plans to raise subsidized fuel prices by 33 percent to Rp 6,000 per liter on Sunday. The plan has sparked protests nationwide since it was announced earlier this month.

The government says the price rise is necessary given the surge in the global cost of oil, the strain of subsidies on the national budget, and the fact the rich are the biggest beneficiaries of the current arrangement.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said 22,000 police personnel,  backed by 8,000 members of the
Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), will be deployed to safeguard the country during the demonstrations. Each provincial police command will also include TNI backups, he added,

“TNI is deployed at the request of the National Police in times of crisis and in times of need,” said Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and defense affairs.

Din Syamsuddin, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country’s second largest Islamic organization, on Sunday said the government’s decision to involve the TNI reflected a determination to increase the fuel price.

“The deployment of soldiers shows that the government is determined with its policy,” Din said in Karanganyar, Central Java.

“The TNI should not be used to face students. The TNI should be safeguarding the country from external threats.”

Djoko called on protesters to rally peacefully and not inconvenience the public through their actions. “To students, NGOs, workers and mass organizations: protest rallies are legal, but we hope that they are done peacefully,” Djoko said.

He said that protests so far have included the occupying of fueling stations, including in Malang, East Java, and the commandeering of fuel tank trucks.

“These actions are not sympathetic and not they’re not pro-people,” he said. “They also don’t reflect well on the intellect of the students. Such actions could disturb fuel supply and society.”

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi warned of sanctions for heads of provinces, districts and municipalities if they take part in the protests against the fuel price increase.

“There should be no regional heads who air their displeasure  because this is against their oaths,” Gamawan said.

“They vowed in their oaths to be loyal and abide by the prevailing laws, including government and presidential regulations.”

Although various groups and organizations have threatened to hold massive protests against the fuel price increase on Tuesday, labor and workers’ union in Jakarta and surrounding areas said that they will hold their protest on Thursday.

“We have checked this with the secretariat of the House of Representatives and they have said that the likely day for a plenary meeting to discuss the fuel price increase will only be Thursday, and not today,” said Iqbal, the secretary general of the Social Security Action Committee.

He also said that if the government went ahead with its fuel price increase, labor unions would hold even bigger protests on Labor Day, May 1, with some 200,000 workers from Jakarta, West Java and Banten taking part.

Additional reporting by SP/Robertus Wardi, Hangga Brata, & Aidi Yursal

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia-readies-for-mass-protests/507377?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jgnewsletter

Saat ini sedang berlangsung pembicaraan guna pengambilan keputusan rencana kenaikan BBM antara Pemerintah dan DPR.

Rencana tersebut dimaksudkan untuk memperkokoh perekonomian Nasional sekaligus memperkuat program perlindungan sosial.

Kuat dalam ingatan kita, selama tahun 2003 dan 2004 harga Premium Rp 1.810 per liter, pada 1 Maret 2005 menjadi Rp 2.400,

Kemudian pada 1 Oktober 2005 menjadi 4.500, naik hampir 300 persen dari harga sebelum Maret 2005.

Harga kembali naik menjadi Rp 6.000 pada 24 Mei 2008. Pemerintah lalu menurunkan secara bertahap

dan pada 29 Januari 2009 sampai kini harganya Rp 4.500.

Saat harga tertinggi 2008, kita ketahui terjadi krisis finansial dimana berdampak pada Nilai Tukar dan Inflasi.

Saat itu, terlihat dampak krisis keuangan jelas terlihat pada nilai tukar Rupiah yang melemah terhadap dolar AS,

bahkan sempat mencapai RP 10.000/USD pada minggu kedua Oktober 2008. benar-benar tekanan ekonomi yang mampu kita lalui.

Sementara saat ini meroketnya harga minyak sudah mencapai US$122/barel.

Rata-rata harga minyak mentah Indonesia pada Januari 2012 pun sudah US$115/barel, lebih tinggi daripada patokan harga minyak di APBN 2012 yang US$90/barel.

Jika harga minyak terus di atas harga patokan, bisa dipastikan subsidi BBM di APBN 2012 yang dialokasikan Rp123,59 triliun bakal tidak terbendung.

Pada 2011, realisasi subsidi BBM sudah mencapai Rp165,2 triliun, atau Rp40,5 triliun lebih besar daripada target di APBN-P 2011 yang dipatok Rp129,7 triliun.
Pemerintah sendiri saat ini sedang menyediakan opsi besaran penaikan harga BBM, agar menjadi kebijakan yang tepat sasaran.

Terhadap rencana penaikan itu, Kementerian Keuangan juga mempersiapkan revisi Undang-Undang 22/2011 tentang APBN 2012.

Sebab, Pasal 7 di UU APBN 2012 menyatakan harga BBM tidak naik.
Ini adalah sebuah keputusan yang sangat penting dan strategis. Bisa jadi sebuah keputusan yang tidak populer,

tetapi sesungguhnya merupakan keputusan yang populis.

Jika terlihat tidak, itu tentu bertautan dengan struktur ekonomi, budaya konsumsi energi di masa lalu dan saat ini masih berlaku, dan karenanya, untuk membangun solusi,

pemerintah sedang melakukan transformasi. Transformasi dilakukan mengingat pemerintah SBY-Boediono adalah pemerintahan lanjutan dari pemerintahan sebelumnya.

Secara gradual, nyata dan berkelanjutan transformasi dilakukan. Apa saja pertimbangan pemerintah untuk itu ?

Dalam format tanya jawab kami tampilkan diskursus (isu-isu utama) tentang rencana penaikan BBM , semoga menjadi diskusi yang produktif.

1. Mengapa pemerintah menaikkan harga Premium dan Solar ?
Harga jual Premium dan Solar saat ini yaitu Rp. 4.500 per liter, jauh lebih rendah daripada harga pokoknya.

Pemerintah harus menambal kekurangan itu dengan mengambil uang (subsidi) dari Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara (APBN).

Harga minyak dunia dan konsumsi dalam negeri yang semakin melonjak tinggi belakangan ini membuat subsidi untuk Premium dan Solar menjadi semakin besar.

Dalam menghitung APBN 2012, Pemerintah dan DPR menyepakati harga minyak mentah Indonesia sebesar US$ 90 per barel sebagai patokan.

Kenyataannya, selama Februari rata-rata harga minyak mentah Indonesia saat ini sudah US$ 122,17 per barel.

Sedangkan konsumsi Solar dan Premium juga meningkat dari 35,8 juta kiloliter pada 2010 menjadi 38,5 juta kiloliter pada 2011 lalu.

Akibatnya, subsidi untuk Solar dan Premium sepanjang 2012 akan melonjak dari Rp. 123,6 triliun menjadi Rp. 191,1triliun.

Jika harga minyak dunia terus naik, subsidi akan menggelembung di luar kemampuan anggaran Negara.

Padahal, pengeluaran itu akan lebih bermanfaat jika dipakai untuk keperluan lain, misalnya pembangunan jalan, jembatan, dermaga,

kapal perintis infrastruktur lain yang sangat diperlukan masyarakat atau untuk peningkatan pelayanan pendidikan.

Masyarakat yang kurang mampu akan menikmati manfaat lebih besar jika harga Premium dan Solar lebih tinggi.

Sebab, masyarakat yang kurang mampu bukan konsumen Premium maupun Solar yang terbesar.

Harga jual Solar dan Premium yang terlalu rendah dibanding harganya di luar negeri juga cenderung mendorong penyelundupan

dan penyelewengan Solar dan Premium yang seharusnya diperuntukkan konsumen dalam negeri. Yang mendapatkan manfaat

dari subsidi adalah para penyelundup dan penyeleweng.

2. Memangnya harga Premium dan Solar di Indonesia lebih murah dibanding dengan harga di Negara-negara lain ?

Karena ada subsidi, harga jual Premium dan Solar di dalam negeri jauh lebih murah daripada harga barang yang serupa di Negara-negara tetangga.

Itu sebabnya, para penyelundup justru menikmati perbedaan harga ini seraya merugikan keuangan Negara dan kita semua.

Di bawah ini adalah perbandingan harga Premium dengan harga bahan bakar serupa di beberapa negara tetangga.

Memang ada perbedaan kualitas antara bensin yang dijual di sini dengan bensin di beberapa negara itu,

yang bilangan oktannya lebih tinggi dan oleh karenanya kualitasnya lebih baik. Namun, bensin di negara tetangga

yang diperbandingkan adalah bensin berkualitas terendah yang tersedia di pasar, sama halnya dengan Premium di Indonesia.

3. Indonesia kan negara penghasil minyak, jika harga minyak naik bukankah penerimaan Pemerintah naik ?

Betul, jika harga minyak naik, penerimaan negara juga naik. Namun, pada saat yang sama pengeluaran negara juga turut melonjak.

Perhitungannya, setiap kenaikan harga sebesar US$ 1 per barel, dengan asumsi kurs Rp. 9.000 per dolar, akan menaikkan penerimaan sebesar Rp. 3,37 triliun. Read More

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Ezra Sihite & Agus Triyono | February 28, 2012

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants all suspicious transactions involving his ministers to be investigated, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam said on Monday.

“The most important thing is that the president wants corruption-eradication efforts to continue to run, no matter who is involved,” Dipo told reporters after a hearing with House of Representatives Commission II, which oversees home affairs.

A recent Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) report showed 2,000 “suspiciously large” bank transactions involving accounts linked to ministers and legislators, mostly from the controversial House Budget Committee.

Dipo said the presidential office had not yet received the PPATK data but that a legal process was already under way.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad told lawmakers in another hearing on Monday that all 2,000 transactions were being reviewed.

Specifically, PPATK chairman Muhammad Yusuf said there were at least 23 suspiciously large transactions between high-profile graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin, the former treasurer of the president’s Democratic Party, and active ministers.

“Whether any of those are connected to crimes, we are still verifying,” he told House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, last week.

One transaction, he said, involved Rp 100 billion ($11 million).

Asked by Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo exactly how many ministers Yusuf was referring to, the PPATK chairman vaguely responded “not many, just one or two [ministers].” Read More

In 2003, under the Bali Concord II, ASEAN agreed to create the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. The AEC will establish ASEAN as a single market and production base that, in theory, will make the regional grouping more dynamic and competitive, leading to greater economic development.

The planned ASEAN single market and production base will comprise five principle elements: the free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and skilled labor. In theory, a single market has many benefits. Proponents believe that with the free flow of all factors of production between member countries, the allocation of all the factors of production will be more efficient, and thus lead to increased productivity.

Given that ASEAN member nations vary widely in their economic and sociopolitical development, however, applying a single market naturally has raised doubts among some. For Indonesia in particular, which is ASEAN’s largest country and boasts its biggest economy, will the AEC’s single market work for us?

The AEC spirit is deeply rooted in economic liberalization. However, as many have argued, economic liberalization has not always translated into equitable and balanced development and an improvement in people’s welfare. For Indonesia, there are at least three problems arising from the creation of a single market. The first concerns industrial relations policies, which also relate to manpower policies. Both of them are weak. Read More

Vento Saudale | February 20, 2012

Bogor. As rain continues to fall across Bogor and the upstream area of the Ciliwung River, water at the Katulampa Dam reached dangerous levels on Sunday, spelling disaster for Jakarta if it continued to rise.

Hendri Antoro, head of the data and information bureau of the Bogor Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), warned that Greater Jakarta was moving into high-intensity rainy season.

He said the peak of the rainy season, initially forecast for mid-January to mid-February, had been delayed and was estimated to end sometime in early March.

“The rain in the Greater Jakarta area has begun to rise to 42 millimeters and even up to 50 millimeters. This is before entering the peak of the rainy season,” Hendri said.

He attributed the increased rains to the rising temperature of the surface of the Java Sea, a phenomenon he said was expected to continue until early March

In Bogor and its surrounding areas, the extreme weather has already seen above-average wind speed, high levels of rain and also lightning, said Djabariah, a forecaster at the Bogor BMKG office.

Bogor has experienced rains for the past week. Strong winds also damaged houses in three villages in the Cibinong subdistrict of Bogor on Saturday, displacing 52 families.

Heavy rains also caused the banks of the Cijeruk River in Bogor to burst, inundating 57 houses with up to 50 centimeters of water, said Yous Sudrajat, who heads the Bogor Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

At the Katulampa floodgate in Bogor, the alert status is now Level 4, up one from normal, as the water has reached dangerous levels of 70 centimeters while flowing at 62 cubic meters per second, said Andi Sudirman, the operator of the gate.

The normal level of water at the gate is below 50 centimeters, but recent rains in Bogor have raised the level by 20 centimeters.

“Our staff is on alert, monitoring the water’s height,” Andi said. He said the water could still rise to above 90 centimeters and flow at 113 cubic meters per second if the rains continued to fall in the upstream area of the Ciliwung River.

“If rains continue over the Puncak area for the next two hours, we will enter the next alert level,” Andi said, referring to the upstream areas of the river. Read More