REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BRISBANE -- President Joko Widodo said that no date had been set with regard to the implementation of the government's plan to raise the cost of subsidized oil. He told newsmen after meeting with Indonesian community members in Australia on Friday night that the government was still studying the development of the world crude price, as well as that of inflation and logistics supply.

"We will reevaluate everything again when we are in Jakarta. We must know the current calculations after the world price of crude dropped," he noted.

The president added that the government would also check developments in inflation rate and fuel oil supply in the country before making the decision.

"We must keep an eye on inflation and our logistical stocks," he remarked.

President Joko Widodo is currently in Australia to attend the G-20 summit scheduled to be held on November 15 and 16.

Furthermore, Vice President Jusuf Kalla pointed out in Jakarta on Friday that the government needs to announce its decision on subsidized fuel price immediately to stop public uncertainty and to create a more conducive social and economic situation.

"Yes, it must be made known immediately. God willing, after the President returns, it will be done to stop the current uncertainty," he stated.

He admitted that the government had to recalculate the hike after the world crude price dropped to 80 USD a barrel. However, as the rupiah exchange rate has also dropped, the combination of the decline in the price of crude and the appreciation of the rupiah exchange rate must be studied again, Kalla explained.

"(We must recalculate) by how much the price should be hiked after the crude price and the rupiah exchange rate dropped," he reiterated.

The vice president acknowledged the current hike in the prices of basic necessities, but said that it could have been caused by various other factors, such as the current drought, and not entirely by the government's fuel price hike plan.

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