Letter: Natural gas

For the first time domestic demand for natural gas is being prioritized by the government (The Jakarta Post, Jan 23).

Global energy giants operating in Indonesia prefer to sell their products abroad due to domestic subsidies imposed by the government. In the past, whether it is before Idul Fitri, Christmas or Imlek celebrations, bottles of gas for domestic consumption are nowhere to be found.

Living in Bogor, I had to go to Jakarta to buy gas for an inflated price. Gas distributors use holidays as an excuse to inflate their price by stocking up gas and only releasing it to the public and selling it with an inflated price prior to holiday celebrations, thereby making a quick killing.

Being the world's third largest LNG producer, it is a total disgrace if occasionally there seems to be no gas available for domestic consumption.

Thanks to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's recent deals with Exxon and Chevron, increasing domestic gas demand will now be met and inflated gas prices during important holidays will hopefully become a thing of the past.

Lynna van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java.