Bahlil Lahadalia, Chairman of the Golkar Party and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, has announced that within the next six months, Indonesia will no longer import oil from Singapore. Instead, the country plans to source its fuel oil directly from Middle Eastern oil-producing countries.
Bahlil made this statement during a discussion on Indonesia’s geostrategic and geopolitical policy at the Golkar Party DPP Office in West Jakarta on Thursday, May 8. He emphasized that it was “embarrassing” for Indonesia to import fuel from a country like Singapore, which does not produce oil, while purchasing prices are nearly identical to those from Middle Eastern oil-producing nations.
Currently, 54 percent of Indonesia’s fuel is imported from Singapore, a country that does not have oil reserves of its own. The minister pointed out the irony of buying oil from a non-producing country, despite Indonesia being a major consumer. The remaining 34 percent of the oil market is produced domestically.
Bahlil strongly criticized the current import strategy, asserting that it was more dignified for Indonesia to secure its oil from Middle Eastern countries, which are known oil producers, rather than rely on Singapore as a middleman. He has now ordered that, within the next six months, Indonesia will begin importing oil directly from Middle Eastern suppliers.
The decision reflects Indonesia’s desire to enhance its energy independence and reinforce its geopolitical standing in the global oil market.
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