KADIN ASKS GOVT TO FURTHER LOWER GASOLINE PRICE TO RP3,900

Jakarta, Feb 15 (ANTARA) - The head of the standing committee for domestic trade of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Bambang Soesatyo, hoped the government would lower further the price of premium gasoline to Rp3,900 per litre to boost public purchasing power.
"The goverment must be fair to the people following its plan to increase the salary of civil servants, the military (TNI) and the police by further lowering the price of premium gasoline, consumed by millions of families through public transporation to an economic level of Rp3,900 per litre," he said here on Sunday.
By reducing the premium gasoline price, he said, millions of households in Indonesia would enjoy their increasing buying power and an opportunity for them to increase consumption would be opened.
"If public buying power is not strengthened the government's plan to raise the salary of civil servants and TNI/Police members will be seen as unfair by the community. The plan will be seen as a populist policy but not pro-people as only civil servants will benefit it while tens of millions of people are suffering as a result of their declining buying power," he said.
He said the government would realize its plan to raise the salary of civil servants and TNI/Police members this year to safeguard public consumption. However, he reminded, that consumers are not only civil servants and TNI/Police members.
"Citizens who are not civil servants and TNI/Police members will certainly feel being treated unfairly by the government as their buying power is not safeguarded. Moreover they know that the salary of the civil servants and TNI/Police members will be taken from their tax payment," he said.
He said the effort to increase the buying power of the people would not be effective if it was limited to increasing the salary of civil servants and TNI/Police members.
He said the coverage of the policy must be widened to include reducing the price of gasoline.
"By lowering the price of premium gasoline to Rp3,900, millions of families will enjoy significant additional buying power," Bambang, who is also the general chairman of the Association of Indonesian Suppliers for Procurement and Distribution of Goods, said.