GOVT ASKS PERTAMINA TO OVERCOME PREMIUM GASOLINE SCARCITIES

Jakarta, Dec 3 (ANTARA) - The government has warned state oil company PT Pertamina about subsidized premium gasoline scarcities at fuel refilling stations in the country and asked the company to immediately overcome the problem.
"The premium gasoline scarcities have occurred because the gas stations did not get the fuel from Pertamina, and therefore we have warned the company about the problem," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said here on Wednesday.
He said the government's decision to cut the premium gasoline price from Rp6,000 to Rp5,500 per liter was effective on Monday, December 1, 2008 but since then gas stations in a number of areas had stopped selling the subsidized fuel.
On Wednesday (Dec 3), gas stations along the Parung-Ciputat artery road and the Sawangan-Bogor highway south Jakarta were reported to be still unable to provide motorists with premium gasoline.
Meanwhile, Evita Legowo, director general of oil and gas affairs at the energy and mineral resources ministry, said she had discussed the premium gasoline shortages with Pertamina and asked the company to immediately overcome the problem.
"Pertamina said the problem will be solved today (Wednesday)," Legowo said, adding that the scarcities had happened because gas station owners were still negotiating a new price margin with Pertamina.
Following the scarcities, Pertamina had penalized a number of gas stations by ordering them to close down. One of the stations was
located in Java, one in Kalimantan and one in Sulawesi.
The measure was taken because the government did not want the people to have difficulty obtaining premium gasoline, Legowo said.