Tugas Softskill 3 – Direct Sentences
Ministers respond to LPG
hike
hike
Three days
after state-run oil and gas firm PT Pertamina increased the price of
12-kilogram (kg) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), government figures responded to
public concerns by meeting to discuss the sensitive issue on Saturday.
The meeting,
led by Vice President Boediono, did not bring any clear result as Boediono
would first report to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was on a two-day
visit to East Java.
The
President is scheduled to lead another meeting on the issue on Sunday as soon
as he returns.
“[In the meeting] we heard reports from the field,
views from the public, as well as input from ministers. We will report to the
President tomorrow [Sunday],” Boediono told a press conference after the
meeting. “Today, we will not convey the situation [to the public].”
Yudhoyono
called Boediono to discuss the gas price hike with Pertamina president director
Karen Agustiawan and Cabinet ministers after hearing public opinion and reports
of LPG prices that were higher than the price set by Pertamina.
Presidential
spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Yudhoyono was aware of the public’s concerns
and had asked the Vice President to lead a meeting on the issue.
Aside from
Pertamina’s Karen, Saturday’s meeting was also attended by Coordinating
Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero
Wacik and Finance Minister Chatib Basri.
After the
meeting, Hatta said the result would be “good for consumers”, triggering
speculation of a price correction to a level within the range of general
domestic users.
Hatta added
the government should protect the public, particularly the poor, following the
LPG price hike, saying social protection funds should be managed well.
Asked
whether Pertamina would bow to public concern by lowering the gas price,
Pertamina spokesman Ali Mundakir said the decision would be made after the
Sunday meeting.
“We don’t want to assume what measures will be taken.
We’re just waiting for the final decision tomorrow,” Ali told The Jakarta Post
over the phone.
Pertamina
increased the price of 12-kilogram LPG by 68 percent, or from Rp 70,200 to Rp
117,708 per canister, on Wednesday, the first day of the year.
Although
Pertamina has set the price, fixed consumer prices in the market vary depending
on the proximity between LPG stations and supply points in each area.
Pertamina
claimed the price-hike policy needed to be taken because the company had
suffered annual losses amounting to Rp 6 trillion from the 12-kilogram LPG
canister business.
Commenting
on Pertamina’s reasoning, legislator Dewi Aryani of the House of
Representatives’ Commission VII overseeing energy asked Pertamina to be
transparent in its business and finance reports.
“Pertamina must explain to the public if the losses
came from the company or simply from one of its business units,” she said as
quoted by Antara news agency.
Meanwhile,
others shared their views on the hike.
Mariawaty
Muhtar, a retired official, was disappointed with Pertamina’s decision. “I live
on a pension. I can’t afford to buy the 12-kg LPG with the new price tag,” she
said.
“I saw a
minister saying on TV that the government could not do anything about it and
that it was Pertamina’s authority to jack up the price. It’s like the
government just washes its hands of the matter. Who’s going to defend us, the
people?” she added.
Angelina Tan
Gwan Nio has no plan yet to increase the price of her homemade food following
the hike. However, if it turns out that other food vendors decide to up their
prices, she said she would follow suit.
“The new
price is shocking. It will have a wide effect on my business and other people.
I just hope that households will still be able to afford LPG because it’s one
of our main needs,” she said.
In addition,
Boediono said the meeting discussed the policy in detail, including efforts to
anticipate supply and distribution.
“We will
ensure supply to prevent shortages across the country,” he added.
Linda
Yulisman and Tassia Sipahutar contributed to this report.
Explanation
: Because the sentences reported exactly by the speaker, and it usually placed
inside question marks
