JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – The government and the House of Representatives (DPR) as scheduled on Monday (May 20) morning, will kick off the discussion on the upcoming fuel price hike and the compensation funds for the poor through the so-called BLSM program (direct cash assistance).
The government as scheduled will propose the 2013 revised state budget (APBN-P) in the House plenary session this morning. The plenary session has just started at around 10:50 a.m., after postponed for almost one hour due to poor attendance from lawmakers.
The government earlier said that they will propose the compensation funds amounting to Rp29.6 trillion, if the House approved to cut the fuel subsidy to raising fuel price. Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Rajasa, in his capacity as Acting Minister of Finance, as scheduled will represent the government to deliver the proposed 2013 State budget revision.
There is a rumor widely circulated that some factions at the House will reject Hatta as they want the proposed 2013 State budget revision will be supposedly delivered by a definitive Minister of Finance. But Hatta, in his statement this morning, denied the rumor.
Besides that, the rejection over the upcoming fuel price hike and the compensation funds for the poor through the so-called BLSM program is expressed by some factions, including PDI-P, Gerindra, Hanura and PKS. They consider that SBY-Boediono’s administration to provide a direct cash money for the poor through the so-called BLSM program to mitigate the impact of a possible fuel-price hike is basically just a bribe for the poor toward the next year’s elections. (haryanto@yosefardi.com)