/data/photo/2022/03/15/62308d8c2e996.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
Thousands of people lined up crammed
waiting for life’s turn
No one can give up
some even step on each other
No one else complained
no hirau spy glared
In a long line
everyone wants to get the right
Long line of hungry humans
it’s no longer clear who’s the man, who’s the woman
Scramble
walk
crammed
Busy taking care of himself
The poem written by Cahyamulia with the title “Long Queue” is very contextual with current conditions, even though it was written in May 1991.
Seeing the phenomenon cooking oil scarcity in various areas in the country, even to the point of queuing, as well as queuing for vehicle drivers who are willing to wait a long time just to get diesel, which has become a common sight these days.
It’s been a long line, the items you are looking for are limited in number. If anything, the price has been doubled from the normal price.
In fact, often, the stock of cooking oil is empty in a number of shops or markets.
It is ironic indeed, that we are experiencing a shortage of cooking oil in a country known for its abundant palm oil.
The equivalent of three dollars with cooking oil, distribution and supply of diesel fuel (BBM) has also been disrupted in a number of areas.
The driver of a diesel-fueled vehicle was desperate to fill the tank of his vehicle. What is sad is of course the drivers of public transport and goods who rely on diesel. His work time is wasted just to get diesel.
It is ironic indeed, even though we are no longer a crude oil exporting country and are members of OPEC, at least we are no longer able to supply diesel fuel for our own nation.
In this country there are still oil and gas mines that can support the energy needs of its people.
If we just have to queue for cooking oil and diesel, political parties must line up for positions in the cabinet.
Such a party is “hungry” and has to be willing to wait in long lines and must take a number of steps to get the ministerial “seat” in the cabinet.
Fuck and bullshit with people who have to be willing to line up for cooking oil and diesel.
It reminds me of the assumption of power as stated by Machiavelli that in order to strengthen power, there is no need to attach importance to moral and ethical values.
Political parties do not need to fulfill the promises they made to their constituents. Defending the people can be done in any way, including ensuring that the ministerial seat ticket is won.
Mastering the ministry is everything, to hell with the duration of the government that will soon end.
The buzz of the need for a cabinet reshuffle or reshuffle always voiced by parties that have not yet won a “seat” or want to maintain the “seat” they have already won or secure a position.
Can also scream reshuffle voiced by the party so that the “seat” in the cabinet increases. Threatening each other, shouting at each other, and clawing at each other. It’s like a wild cat fighting over a wadon cat.
Between cooking oil, diesel & ministerial chair
Queues to get cooking oil are still a common sight in various regions in the country.
While visiting Soe, South Central Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, four days ago, I did random check in some shops.
As a result, cooking oil is hard to come by. If anything, the price has skyrocketed. Way above the highest retail price.
The queue of mothers who originally wanted to get packaged cooking oil has now switched to bulk cooking oil.
Instead of buying at a price of Rp. 25,000 for a 1 liter package of cooking oil, mothers are willing to queue for bulk cooking oil to get a price of Rp. 14,000 per liter.
Residents of Rembang, Central Java, for example, are willing to queue for hours to get bulk cooking oil. Each purchase is limited to a maximum of 18 liters.
Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, the police were deployed to manage the queue of residents who wanted to buy bulk fried oil. Each resident is limited to a maximum purchase of only five liters (Kompas.comMarch 27, 2022).
Over the past four months, the price of cooking oil in the country has skyrocketed out of control.
It is even confirmed that since the last two months the increase in cooking oil prices has contributed to inflation.
The soaring price of cooking oil in a country rich in palm oil is an irony considering that the supply of palm oil in the country is still abundant.
People are forced to buy cooking oil at imported prices. In the end, the government issued a subsidy of Rp. 3.6 trillion for the supply of cheap cooking oil at a price of Rp. 14,000 per liter.Kompas.com, 19 February 2022).
Having received a subsidy injection, the availability of cooking oil in the market does not automatically become abundant.
Instead, the shelves for selling cooking oil at various outlets across the country have become empty.
Since the beginning of February 2022 until now, I have traveled to various provinces in the country. Starting from Central Java, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sumatra, Bali, West Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, West Java, Yogyakarta, Southeast Sulawesi and Banda Aceh, the condition of the availability of cooking oil is indeed sami mawon.
Cheap cooking oil prices only exist on television and the media. In the field, cooking oil is scarce and if it exists, people must be willing to queue.
Not only cooking oil, in various areas diesel is now difficult to obtain. Cooking oil and diesel are already like best friends, both ghosting together.
According to records Compass, solar scarcity It’s actually been happening for the last few weeks. Even in some areas, solar shortages have been going on for months.
To get diesel, vehicle drivers have to go around the city looking for public gas stations (SPBU) that still have stock. Drivers have to queue because of the scarcity of diesel.
In Bogor City, West Java, for example, diesel fuel has been hard to find in recent days. The high demand from motorists makes diesel stocks run out quickly (Kompas.comMarch 28, 2022).
Not only in Bogor, but also in Palembang, South Sumatra, a number of gas stations were seen snaking queues of vehicles to get diesel.
Whereas BPH Migas since 2022 has assigned PT Pertamina Patra Niaga and PT AKR Corporindo to distribute 15.1 million kiloliters of diesel oil.
The determination of this quota must have taken into account the needs of the community as well as the state’s financial capacity.
If there is an increase in demand or supply disruption in an area, Pertamina Patra Niaga and AKR Coporindo can adjust the quota between distributors in the same area as long as it does not affect the total quota for that area (Kompas.comMarch 28, 2022).
And it seems, the mechanism is not working in the field. Feels simple on paper, but messy on the field. And this happens often.
If cooking oil and diesel are so influential with the livelihood of many people, this is not the case with the “scarcity” of ministerial seats in a number of political parties.
The scarcity of ministerial seats only affects party elites. Political elites are increasingly showing their original nature and political passions ahead of the summer of 2024.
The inclusion of the National Mandate Party (PAN) in the coalition car certainly requires political accommodation in the form of positions in ministries and various positions.
The credo of no “gretongan” lunch, let alone breakfast and dinner, clearly applies to the elite of political parties.
Although PAN is a party that is “late” and a little “sweaty” because of its political position in the era of Joko Widodo’s regime, it is inevitable that PAN’s support must be converted into a ministerial “seat”.
Like the dilemma of the coalition architecture, joining PAN will strengthen political support in parliament.
However, the inclusion of PAN in the coalition carriage has actually disrupted the solidity of the “voluptuous fat” coalition supporting Jokowi – Amin.
It is clearly seen from the threat of the Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar who does not want a “war” between Ukraine and Russia if PAN is accommodated in the cabinet, but will reduce the ministerial quota that has been occupied by PKB (Kompas.comMarch 24, 2022).
The expression of Ukraine’s war with Russia and allowing PAN to enter the cabinet as long as it does not undermine the PKB ministerial seat from Gus Imin – Muhaimin Iskandar’s nickname – is clearly an indicator of the “greed” of the party elite.
The other two parties supporting the Jokowi-Amin coalition such as PDI-P and Nasdem are even more “soft” by calling for reshuffle is Jokowi’s prerogative and can be confirmed ahead of time reshuffle The general chairmen of the coalition parties will be invited to political discussion by President Jokowi (Kompas.comMarch 27, 2022).
Seeing the insistence of the political elite, between those who want to “desperate” to enter the cabinet and those who are “reluctant” to lose their ministerial “seat” in the cabinet, it increasingly implies that the 2024 election contestation is getting closer.
Elbowing each other, arguing with each other and looking for each other’s faces to the President became commonplace.
Instead of providing a solution to the scarcity of cooking oil and diesel after soybean prices had gone crazy in the market, they actually “enjoyed” this scarcity condition as a political advantage.
If there are ministers who are deemed incompetent to control the price of cooking oil or or there are ministers who are confused about the availability of diesel fuel, it is possible that the hope of filling the posts of these ministers is growing.
Ee .. dayohe teko… ee gelarno kloso…
ee .. klasane bedah… ee tambalno jadah ..
ee .. jadahe mambu .. ee pakakno asu…
ee..asune mati… ee guwakno kali ..
ee .. kaline banjir .. ee guwak neng pinggir ..
I used to sing the Javanese song Dayohe Teko when I was a child in Malang City, East Java in the mid-1970s – 1975.
If the song is translated into Indonesian, it more or less means this: there are guests coming, don’t forget to spread the mat.
When the mat is torn, add it with sticky rice. When the sticky rice smells, just give it to the dog.
And when the dog dies, just throw it in the river. And if the river floods, just throw it on the bank.
In fact, the song is full of teachings and insinuations that greedy humans are often unaware of their own actions. Blaming each other, and not wanting to learn from past experiences.
The presence of guests who should be greeted warmly even the host underestimates the guest by dwelling on activities that are not commendable, namely throwing out “dog carcasses”.
To the river even though it was hit by floods.
The misguided scarcity of cooking oil and diesel and the competing for ministerial seats are becoming increasingly clear on the lustful faces of our politicians.
The focus and energy of our nation is not spent on reducing the burden of people’s lives, but rather on the affairs of power sharing.
Again, fuck with tough people. Rare cooking oil and diesel are hard to find, the important thing is fun …. fun to get a ministerial position.
Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–
