Govt Must Take Steps To Overcome Fuel Scarcity

Jakarta, Aug 27 (Antara) - The government should take immediate steps to overcome subsidized fuel scarcity in a number of regions in the country, suggested a researcher. Populis Institute researcher David K Alka said here on Wednesday that fuel scarcity in a number regions could no longer be prevented as a result of delay in subsidized fuel supplies and of the government policy to stick to the consumption quota it has set until the end of the year. He said that the scarcity was also related to the fact that consumption of subsidized fuel exceeded the quota that had been set in the revised 2014 state budget. The researcher also regretted that the government was not ready to anticipate fuel scarcity and failed to predict adequate budget for supplying subsidized fuels to the people. "It is deplorable because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is not able to anticipate fuel scarcity. He should be able to take anticipatory steps so that long queues at refilling stations in a number of regions would not take place," David pointed out. He said that fuel scarcity could hamper the people`s economic activities and boost inflation. The fuel scarcity could also disturb the transition process of the government in the run up to the installation of the President-elect Joko Widodo next October 20, David noted. "It is high time for President Yudhoyono to raise fuel oil prices to ensure the availability of stocks and the certainty of fuel prices," he stressed. Besides that, such a step would smooth the government transition to the administration of Joko Widodo and would ensure he would have adequate funds in the 2015 State Budget for carrying out his programs, he remarked.