By: Tengku Rasya )*
bali talk.id| The adjustment of the price of subsidized fuel oil (BBM) turned out to be rejected by a few elements of the community who indicated they were going to hold a demonstration. The action, which is said to be simultaneously held in 33 provinces, should of course be watched out for because it is vulnerable to provocation.
It should be noted that the government’s policy of adjusting the fuel price on September 3, 2022 is a realistic step so that the burden on the state is not getting heavier. Moreover, world oil prices have also increased.
Previously, President Joko Widodo had also emphasized that the fuel price adjustment was an effort by the government to place subsidies to people who had more rights, namely the lower classes.
However, this price adjustment still gets rejection from various parties, even this policy is also vulnerable to being ridiculed by groups who want to corner the government.
In Jakarta, four demonstrators were arrested by the police during an action in front of the DPR/MPR RI Building on August 29. Commissioner Komarudin as the Head of the Central Jakarta Police said that the four protesters were detained by officers for taking actions that were considered provocative. However, the four demonstrators have been sent home after being investigated and confirmed that they have not committed any violations or criminal acts.
In addition, rejection also occurred in NTB, where a number of cadres and administrators of the Indonesian Student Association (HMI) held a demonstration against the increase in fuel prices in front of the Dompu Regency DPRD office, NTB. The demonstration ended in chaos. As a result, a number of HMI activists were injured and had to be taken to the Dompu Hospital for medical treatment.
The same thing happened in Pagedangan, South Tangerang. to prevent any provocation that could lead to unlawful acts. The Pagedangan Police Chief met with the Pagedangan community and BBM customers so that the issue would not cause panic so that it could be easily provoked by irresponsible people.
AKP Seala Syah Alam as the Head of the Pagedangan Police said that he had held a dialogue with the community in several places in the Pagedangan area so as not to panic and not be easily provoked by irresponsible people. One of these places is POM Gasoline Medang.
Previously, the Sector Police Chief had also visited several village heads and also RW heads to convey about security and safety in an effort to maintain community conduciveness.
Provocations are very vulnerable to occur in conditions like this, where fuel price adjustments will always be considered to make it difficult for the community.
However, there are different things that the community organization (Ormas) Garuda Kencana Nusantara Indonesia (GKNI) Surabaya does, instead of provoking them, they invite the community to maintain conduciveness.
The call was carried out through a peaceful demonstration held in Tandes on Saturday, September 3, 2022. In their action, they distributed brochures containing an invitation to the community to respond to the plan with a cool head.
In addition, the brochure also contains a table showing the fuel ratio. Fuel prices in Indonesia are still more affordable or cheaper when compared to Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Muadi as the chairman of GKNI Surabaya said that although the community objected to the plan, he considered that the government had tried to overcome the problem with the direct cash assistance program (BLT) amounting to Rp. 600,000.
Muadi also invited the people in Surabaya to respond to the price adjustment with a cool head, not to be easily provoked by irresponsible people. So that there will be no turmoil that harms many parties.
In the near future, his party will take action to maintain conduciveness in responding to this fuel price adjustment in other sub-districts scattered in the Surabaya area. A step like this of course deserves appreciation, Muadi and his team plan to continue socializing to 31 sub-districts. GKNI will deliver this appeal in companies that have many workers.
Provocation is an act to arouse anger, act of inciting and inciting riots. The provocation of rejection of the fuel price adjustment will of course cause a lot of losses. Such as damage to public facilities.
On a different occasion, the Special Staff (Staffsus) of the Minister of Finance for Strategic Communication, Yustius Prastowo, stated that this year’s state budget (APBN) was actually sufficient to finance fuel subsidies and energy compensation until December 2022.
However, Prastowo said that this was accompanied by terms and conditions. One of them is if the world’s crude oil prices, whose movements are very volatile, can stay in a range not too far from 100 US Dollars per barrel. This is because this figure has become the benchmark price for Indonesian crude oil or ICP in the 2022 State Budget.
By knowing what really happened, of course the public must be able to control their emotions, not get emotional because of provocations from parties who want to corner the government.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa Institute
