Your comments on the government'€™s plan to cut fuel prices to help defuse the ailing economy:

Sometimes you have to sacrifice one to get the other to save an ailing economy, such as the fuel-price cut that of course the government has made a very deep consideration of in advance.

E. Nurdin

And no one is talking about the government'€™s failed tax collection. How are budgets to be funded without funds? These funds all come from one sort of taxation or another.

Civilized countries fund education, health services, police, the army, and emergency services, etc. from taxation on salaries, purchased goods (value added tax of 20 percent or so in Europe). One can criticize high-taxation countries, but their citizens apparently enjoy relatively high living standards (Scandinavia for example).

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo is playing a dumb game here. Pandering to the mob-mentality, he is reducing the budgetary funds, which will further diminish the ability to provide services.

This is the mark of a total tyro wishing to be populist. Now his ministers may have had this populist agenda in mind to force on him, so maybe they are the fools.

Whatever happens, no good will come of this. A switch to a (reputedly) higher-grade of fuel ought to be better all round for consumers and Pertamina.

Maurice Gold

We can look at this news from two sides: the people'€™s side and government'€™s side. If I was an average person on the people'€™ side, I would say I agree with the plan that Jokowi made. I'€™m happy because it means I will spending less money to buy fuel than before.

General vehicles are cheaper too. But if I represented someone from the government'€™s side, I would say, I disagree with the plan. Why? Because, if the fuel price is higher, people who drive their own vehicles will do so less than they would if the price was lower.  

Besides, let'€™s look at Pertamina'€™s situation.  Pertamina is the only Indonesian gas station operation, and yet its net profits dropped this year.

Generally speaking, it'€™s up to you to look at the problem from a side of your choice. If you agree with the plan, that'€™s great, because it means you agree with Jokowi, who is our President. If you disagree with the plan, that'€™s okay, because there will always be someone who disagrees.

But don'€™t make any disturbance. Having a different opinion is a usual thing, and if you disagree, just express it with good manners.

Fithrah Pribadi

Hardly any country still offers 88 RON (Premium) petrol, besides Indonesia. Why not drop Premium and instead subsidize Pertalite? At least it'€™s cleaner and better for all these new cars and motorcycles that are currently on the road and supposed to use a higher RON petrol.

Big Mac

Jokowi has more important things to work on. Leave it at the current level and focus on the rest.

OB

It is really an unwise idea. The country has a currency crisis, so let'€™s waste money even faster by giving petrol away at subsidized prices to the people. The polling must be telling him that people are getting ready to riot.

Lasem Benny

Premium should be banned from the market. No modern civilized country should allow such a dirty low-quality fuel to be used.

JLC
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Haze response

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