The announcement came just days after a massive fire broke out at Pertamina’s Plumpang Depot in North Jakarta and razed the densely populated neighborhood of Tanah Merah nearby, displacing more than a thousand residents and killing 18 people. The locals there were previously urged to relocate due to constant safety concerns relating to their proximity to the fuel depot.

Following up on a suggestion from Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, Erick said the Plumpang facility would be moved to a new location provided by state port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo).

“We’ve coordinated with Pelindo, and the construction will commence at the end of 2024, which will take around two to two-and-a-half years to complete,” Erick said in a video statement after a coordination meeting on Monday.

The solution was first proposed by the vice president during his visit to the evacuation shelters on Saturday. In the meantime, however, the minister proposed extending a buffer zone around the Plumpang depot by 50 meters to avoid a repeat of the incident, potentially forcing several residents out of their former homes.

As debate surrounding the legal status of Tanah Merah residents reemerged due to Friday’s fire, the planned buffer zone quickly became a new source of controversy.

The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which was vocal in its criticism of former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, blamed the presidential hopeful for letting the residents stay on Pertamina-owned land.

“Pak Anies should have asked the residents to move to a safer location, but he instead gave them building permits,” said Jakarta City Council (DPRD) member William A. Sarana on Sunday, tempo.co reported.

The PSI politician drew attention to a statement from Anies’ predecessor and one-time rival Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who said in 2016 Tanah Merah should not be inhabited. As part of his campaign, Anies entered into a political contract, promising residents they could stay in Tanah Merah if he won the gubernatorial election.

Tracing the issue further back, however, it was President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo who first conferred legitimacy to the Tanah Merah residents by giving them official identity cards in 2012, when he was still the governor of Jakarta.

The Plumpang fuel depot previously caught fire in 2009.

 

Compensation for victims

In his remarks, Erick also gave his assurance Pertamina would continue to provide for the victims impacted by the fire.

“We will make sure they have a place to live and assist them for the next few months until there’s some certainty about their livelihood,” the minister said.

Per the latest update from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jakarta) as of Monday morning, the agency’s evacuation centers are still housing 214 residents, with the majority of the initial 1,085 evacuees having returned to their homes or found other accommodation.

The death toll from the fire currently stands at 18, while 37 others are still being treated for injuries, with most of the victims undergoing treatment at Pertamina Central Hospital (RSPP), South Jakarta.

Visiting the injured victims at the hospital on Saturday, Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati publicly apologized to the victims, adding the state-owned company would cover all medical expenses and associated costs from the incident.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Navy offered the use of one of their ships, the KRI Banda Aceh amphibious warship, to temporarily house displaced residents.

 

Incident inquiry

While Nicke appeared beside Erick in the video statement, doubts remain if she will be able to maintain her position amid a potential inquiry into the incident. Previously, the SOEs minister hinted he would not hesitate to make changes in Pertamina’s management if necessary.

“I’ve removed Pertamina’s senior management before, and I’ll do it again if it’s necessary,” he said at a press conference at the Pertamina hospital on Saturday.

Since taking office in 2018, Nicke has seen several fires erupt at different Pertamina facilities, including two fires in 2021 at the Cilacap oil refinery in Central Java, the biggest in the country in terms of capacity.

The company’s disconcerting track record has drawn much criticism, including from House of Representatives Commission VII, overseeing energy, natural mineral resources, research and technology and the environment, which plans on summoning the company’s leadership roster on March 13, once lawmakers are back from recess.

“We want Pertamina to conduct a full audit on the depot from a technical, procedural, safety and management perspective so we can find out the root cause of the problem and prevent similar incidents from happening,” Commission VII deputy chairman Eddy Soeparno from the National Mandate Party (PAN) said in a statement, echoing President Jokowi’s statement on Sunday.

Separately, House lawmaker Nurhasan Zaidi from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction confirmed Commission VII was proposing the formation of a working committee to dig into how Pertamina manages its facilities.

A Pertamina spokesperson told The Jakarta Post on Monday the company was to continue coordinating with the relevant authorities.