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Masela saga finale may hurt investor confidence: House member
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Energy and Natural Resources Minister Sudirman Said (right), accompanied by Upstream Oil and Gas regulatory special task force (SKK Migas) head Amien Sunaryadi (center), talks to the press about the Masela block development in Jakarta, March, 24. (ANTARA FOTO/Teresia May)
N
ot everyone at the House of Representatives is content with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision on the development of the Masela gas block.
A member of the House’s Commission VII, which oversees energy policies, said the government had displayed inconsistency in the deep-water gas project that may hurt investor confidence.
"The government's decision is half-hearted. I think it's better to make that decision and submit the project to our state-owned enterprises," Commission VII chairman Gus Irawan Pasaribu told thejakartapost.com on Thursday.
The involvement of state-owned companies in the project was in line with the Constitution’s mandate stipulated in Article 33, he added. Article 33 states that natural resources and the control of natural resources should be maximized for the benefit of the people.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday announced the approval of an onshore development scheme for Indonesia's largest deep-water gas project Masela, in Maluku province.
In doing so, the President turned down a proposal submitted earlier by the two foreign investors in the project, Inpex and Shell, for offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.
The decision ended seven months of argument between Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Sudirman Said.
House Speaker Ade Komarudin, meanwhile, praised the government's decision, saying it would be beneficial to the people of Maluku. (ags)
