Jakarta, CNNI Indonesia —
Regent Meranti Islands M Right expressed disappointment to the Director General of the Fiscal Budget Ministry of Finance Lucky Alfirman questioning people at the Ministry of Finance who contain demons or demons.
This was initially communicated at an Indonesia-wide regional expenditure management coordination meeting in Pekanbaru on Thursday (9/12).
The Staff of Experts of the Minister of the Interior for the Economics of Development, Laode Ahmad, were present on the occasion; Governor of Riau Syamsuar; Director General of Regional Financial Development of the Ministry of the Interior Agus Fatoni.
Through a question and answer session, Adil asked the Home Ministry and the Ministry of Finance about the Oil Production Sharing Fund (DBH) in the Meranti Islands.
Adil said Meranti produces 8,000 barrels of oil a day, but he hasn’t received more detailed explanations about the regional revenues it receives.
He was even more annoyed because a request to discuss with the Finance Ministry was instead offered online or virtually. According to him, the response was different when he wanted to have a direct talk with Interior Minister Tito Karnavian in Jakarta some time ago.
“This the Director General needs to know, I have repeatedly written to the Minister (Finance Minister Sri Mulyani) for a hearing. But the reason is that the Finance Minister has asked online, online, online. If we are asked to increase revenue , it has increased quite a lot for us. We complain to the Ministry of Internal Affairs how come it can be offline,” he said quoted by detikcom.
Adil admitted that DBH oil in 2022 will be only IDR 114 billion, with a calculation of US$60 per barrel in APBD discussion planning. However, during the 2023 APBD discussions, it is expected to increase after following notes from President Joko Widodo’s speech where 1 barrel is worth 100 US dollars equivalent to IDR 1,560,300 (assuming an exchange rate of IDR 15,603) .
“Yesterday, during the zoom with the Finance Ministry, we couldn’t convey it clearly. We were pressed, prodded, prodded, then we communicated clearly that it was $100 a barrel,” he said.
“Until Bandung I chased the Ministry of Finance, which was also not assisted by a competent person. Those attending at the time were either staff or something like that. Up to that point I said ‘This is a financial person whose contents are they the devil or the demons’,” Adil said.
DBH calculation
Still dissatisfied, Adil chased Finance Ministry representatives to a national coordination meeting in Pekanbaru. However, he found that there was a difference in calculating DBH from petroleum products at Meranti.
“Today, sir, I’m chasing you here again (General Manager of Financial Balance of the Ministry of Finance, Lucky Alfirman). I want to know clearly, if the 2023 APBD uses which assumptions, the $60 or the $80 that you carried or 100 dollars according to Mr. Jokowi’s speech which is true. I watched three before,” Adil said.
Adil’s emotions ran high until he finally asked for a letter so that there would be no more oil drilling in Meranti. According to him, it doesn’t matter if the area doesn’t drill for oil.
According to him, there are currently 13 oil wells drilled so far this year. Meanwhile, next year it will increase to 19 wells with a target of 9,000 barrels/day.
“I hope later you will issue a letter to stop oil drilling in Meranti. Don’t take oil from Meranti anymore, it’s okay, we can still eat. Instead of our money being sucked up by the central government,” Adil said firmly.
In addition, he presented data that Riau has a population of 25.68% poor and extreme people. Most of it is located in Meranti. Seeing this data, Adil questioned the Finance Ministry, which only drilled for oil at Meranti but was deemed to have failed to provide the appropriate DBH.
(cfd/asa)