Terong 1 (eggplant): It said Selak premium, but actually it's really sharp
Terong 2: It said sweet California pineapple, but actually it's really sour
Terong 1: Consumers are being ripped off
Terong 2: Where did you learn this from?
Terong 3: From the Minyakita case
Terong 4: From the Pertalite-Pertamax case
A surprise inspection at the Lenteng Agung Market in South Jakarta earlier this month led to the discovery that one-litre government subsidised Minyakita cooking oil containers did not in fact contain one litre of oil.
During the inspection on March 8, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman found that Minyakita was being sold at 18,000 rupiah a litre, well above the maximum retail price of 15,700 rupiah per litre, and that the contents of the packaging did not match what was stated on the label, containing only 750-800 millilitres.
The discovery followed an earlier video that went viral on social media showing a one litre Minyakita package containing 750 millilitres. At the time, Trade Minister Budi Santoso claimed that it was an "old" case that had been dealt with by law enforcement, and publicly guaranteed that that no more such packages were being sold.
"They are no longer in circulation", he said, adding that he does not want the public have doubts about the Minyakita currently being sold in markets. "The others are normal, yes. One litre is normal", Santoso was quoted as saying by Tempo.
The Minyakita case surfaced only a weeks after it was found that between 2018 and 2023 senior officials at the state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina had been blending high-octane Pertamax (RON 92) fuel with cheaper government subsidised Pertalite (RON 90).
On February 25 the Attorney General's Office (AGO) named nine suspects in the case including Pertamina Director of Central Marketing and Commerce Maya Kusmaya, Pertamina Patra Niaga Trading Operations Vice President Edward Corne, Pertamina Patra Niaga President Director Riva Siahaan, PT Kilang Pertamina International Director of Feedstock and Product Optimisation Sani Dinar Saifuddin and PT Pertamina International Shipping Director Yoki Firnandi.
Following the arrests, on March 3 Pertamina President Director Simon Aloysius Mantiri issued a public apology, but denied that Pertamina had been selling illegally blended fuel, citing recent Lemigas test results from 75 fuel samples across Greater Jakarta and claiming that all the samples "met government-mandated quality standards".
The AGO meanwhile has estimated that the scam cost the state some 193.7 trillion rupiah ($11.9 billion), making it one of Indonesia's biggest corruption cases.
This of course does not begin to take into account the money lost by ordinary motorists who bought the sub-standard petrol thinking they were buying premium fuel, with the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) saying that Pertamina consumers have the right to demand compensation and to take legal action against the company.
And to add insult to injury, the revelations follow a concerted campaign by the government to persuade better-off motorists to voluntarily switch from Pertalite to Pertamax in order to reduce government fuel subsidies, which cost the state a whopping 113.3 trillion a year, arguing that the Pertamax fuel improves performance and reduces engine wear.
Social media users meanwhile have flooded Pertamina's Instagram account with complains with tens of thousands of netizens expressed their frustration and disappointment regarding the adulterated fuel. Many complained that they felt deceived after deciding to switch to Pertamax while others encouraged motorists to buy their fuel from non-state owned petrol stations such as Shell, Vivo or BP.
