Govt Must Be Realistic To Raise Fuel Prices

Kuta (Antara Bali) - The government must be realistic to raise the fuel oil (BBM) prices and the electricity basic tariff (TDL), Indonesia United and Justice Party (PKPI) chairman Sutiyoso said here on Sunday.

"In its plan to raise the fuel oil prices and the electricity basic tariff, the government must be prudent and realistic to ascertain the figure of the increase," said Sutiyoso, the former Jakarta governor for two consecutive periods.

After a meeting with the cadres of the party, Sutiyoso noted that if there was uncertainty about the figure BBM price hikes and the electricity basic tariff, it would have a very big impact on the society.

He said the fuel oil price hikes would inevitably be followed by the rise of basic commodity prices.

But he noted that the rise of fuel oil prices and was inevitable because the subsidy from the state budget for the BBM and TDL was very high, while the crude oil prices at the international market continued to increase.(IGT)