SEBATIK. State oil and gas company PT Pertamina says it will guarantee the availability of 3-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canisters in border areas, as a demonstration of the country’s support for the existence of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) in its borders.

In a recent visit to one of the country’s outermost islands, Sebatik island in North Kalimantan, Pertamina marketing and business director Hanung Budya said all Indonesian citizens living within the country’s borders had the right to adequate access to energy.

He stated that Pertamina, as a state-owned enterprise, would guarantee the availability of the 3-kg LPG canisters in border areas, not only to show the company’s support for all areas of the country, but also to implement its public service obligation as mandated by the government.

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To give people easier access to the gas canisters, Hanung said Pertamina would ensure that all people in border areas could buy the commodity at the same price as consumers in other parts of the country.

To that end, he said, starting from December, the transportation costs of the canisters from Tarakan to Sebatik, which borders Malaysia, would be covered by Pertamina. Indonesian people in Sebatik would then be able to buy the commodity at the normal price of Rp 16,000 (US$1.32) per canister, far lower than the current Rp 30,000, he added.

“This is one of the projects Pertamina is working on to support the country’s existence in border areas, so that all Indonesian people can enjoy commodity prices that are relatively similar,” said Hanung.

Pertamina has distributed 17,166 inaugural packages of the 3-kg LPG canisters to Sebatik and Nunukan since the government’s kerosene-to-LPG conversion program was initiated in the areas in 2010.

In North Kalimantan, the number of inaugural packages of LPG canisters distributed since the beginning of the conversion program has reached 89,999. (ebf)

Editor: Hendra Gunawan