Bahlil Responds To Dasco Regarding The Prohibition Of Selling 3 Kg Of LPG, Not Prabowo's Order

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia responded to the statement by the Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, regarding the prohibition of retailers from selling 3 kilograms of LPG (kg), not President Prabowo Subianto's order.

Bahlil said, actually a study related to the distribution of 3 kg LPG has existed since 2023 as a follow-up to the audit results of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) which states that there is a lot of abuse of subsidized LPG by retailers.

"These are all policy directions that we have studied in depth. So this is actually goods from 2023. This is the result of an audit from the BPK that one of the abuses is from these retailers," Bahlil said to the beginning of the media, Tuesday, February 4.

However, Bahlil said the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources was ready to take responsibility for making arrangements in accordance with President Prabowo Subianto's orders.

"But that's okay, it doesn't need to be conveyed to anyone. We, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, must take over responsibility. And indeed the responsibility is to make improvements, structuring," said Bahlil.

For this reason, today he has conducted an inspection and changed the status of retailers to a 3 kg LPG sub base so that it can be reached by the public.

Bahlil ensured that retailers who have become sub-bases will be facilitated by Pertamina's digital system.

Previously, Dasco, who also serves as the Daily Chair of the Gerindra Party DPP, emphasized that the policy to prohibit retailers from selling LPG melon gas did not come from the President.

"Actually, this is not a policy from the President to then ban it yesterday. But looking at the situation and conditions, the President stepped in to instruct the retailers to walk again while then the retailers were used as sub bases, the administration of all kinds could just walk on," said Dasco.