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MUI declares use of subsidized fuels by wealthy people haram
The MUI emphasized that using subsidized fuel in this manner is akin to stealing from the poor, a grave sin in Islam.
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Residents line up on Feb. 3, 2025, to exchange 3-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canisters in Cibodas, Tangerang city, Banten. Residents have said that it has been difficult for them to get the gas canisters following the government’s new policy prohibiting their sale at the retailer level and requiring people to buy them from official distribution centers. (Antara Foto/Putra M. Akbar)
T
he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has recently issued an edict declaring it haram (forbidden under Islamic rule) for affluent individuals to use subsidized fuels, amid government efforts to clamp down on subsidy leakage.
MUI Edict Commission Secretary Miftahul Huda stated that wealthy individuals are not eligible to use subsidized Pertalite gasoline or the 3-kilogram canisters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
"The government has allocated these subsidized fuels exclusively for low-income households and small-scale businesses. Wealthy individuals who use these subsidized fuels are effectively taking what is not rightfully theirs, which in Islam is considered an unjust act," he said in a recent statement.
He further emphasized that using subsidized fuel in this manner is akin to stealing from the poor, a grave sin in Islam.
Miftahul's statement came less than two weeks after the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry introduced a regulation prohibiting small retailers from selling 3-kg LPG canisters to curb the widespread misuse of subsidized cooking gas by wealthier individuals.
However, the government backtracked on the policy just days after its implementation, following a nationwide shortage of subsidized gas and long queues at approved LPG distributors across various regions.
Despite the policy reversal, eligible beneficiaries continue to report shortages of 3 kg LPG canisters nationwide, with many retailers allegedly selling the subsidized canisters at prices far above the government’s price cap.
