REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DENPASAR -- Balinese mass organizations grouped in the Alliance of People Rejecting Fuel Price Hike staged a rally in front of Bajra Sandhi Monument during a car-free day on Sunday.
"We firmly reject the Jokowi-JK government's policy to raise fuel prices," spokesman for the alliance Retno Dewi said.
The alliance also demanded that the government lift the energy and mineral resources minister's decree number 2486/MEM/2015.
During the rally, the alliance also called on the people to protest against the fuel price policy by any means.
"In the era of the Jokowi-JK government, the fuel prices had ever been raised, leading to an increase in the prices of other goods. Though the fuel prices were later lowered the prices of other commodities had not declined ever since," she said.
Retno predicted the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) would increase following the fuel price hike, adding to the burden of low-income people.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said earlier the fuel prices rose Rp500 a liter as of Saturday (March 28) due to the rupiah's weakening against the US dollar.
"We know that the rupiah still hovers above Rp13,000 per dollar while the oil prices also have increased again," he said.
The fuel price hike would surely have positive and negative impacts, he noted.
The government has raised the prices of premium gasoline and diesel fuel by Rp500 per liter, respectively, which is effective on Saturday (March 28).
The prices of premium gasoline were raised from Rp6,800 to Rp7,300 per liter for regions outside Java, Madura and Bali (Jamali), and from Rp6,900 to R7,400 for regions in Jamali.
The government also hiked the price of subsidized diesel oil from Rp6,400 per liter to Rp6,900 per liter both for regions inside and outside Java, Madura and Bali.
This was the second time that the government raised the gasoline and diesel oil prices in March after increasing them earlier on March 1.
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