Do Not Queue up for Oil Before Price Hike: Minister

Jakarta (Antara) - Minister of energy Sudirman Said has appealed to the people not to queue up to fill their tanks when the government finally decides to raise oil prices. "There is no need for them to line up for hours just for a few liters. The benefit will not be much," he said here on Friday. He also asked the people not to worry about supply as it will be sufficient. "Just relax. We have enough stocks across Indonesia, he stated. He noted that based on the reports he received, state-owned oil company Pertamina has already checked all supply and distribution centers in anticipation of a fuel price hike. He said the government has not yet decided when to raise the price or how much to raise. Finance minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, however, has said that the government plans to increase fuel prices before January 1, 2015. Sudirman said that all quarters have understood that a fuel price hike is no longer avoidable. "Can we still delay it? I think we cannot," he added. (*)