Ada Pertanyaan? Hubungi Kami 
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Ada Pertanyaan? Hubungi Kami Nadia Maharani, Kartini L Makmur
Three to four decades ago, Indonesia was once known as one of the world’s major producers and exporters of oil. This status was affirmed by Indonesia back in the 1960s when it joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an organization that aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set its price on the world market.Unfortunately, due to an inability to produce enough for its domestic needs, in 2008 the Indonesian government decided to leave OPEC, with Indonesia’s membership in OPEC suspended since 2009. Endemic corruption in Indonesia has also driven away investors from investing in new reserves in Indonesia.
Seven years after the decision, the government is now planning to rejoin OPEC. During a conference in Vienna, Austria, an official declaration was made by the government to rejoin OPEC. Represented by Sudirman Said, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, announced its intention to the Secretary General of OPEC, Abdalla Salem el-Badri, as well as a few of OPEC’s key players.
Commenting on the issue, lawmaker Kurtubi (Commission IV) stated that the chances of Indonesia rejoining OPEC are slim to none. The country’s oil production, said Mr. Kurtubi, is very low. He further emphasizes the necessity to fix Indonesia’s oil production system to achieve better results and creating a greater chance to rejoin OPEC.
“Indonesia’s decision to quit OPEC was very embarrassing, and now the government’s desire to return is like nothing but a dream, however, to be an observer member would not be an issue,” said Mr. Kurtubi at the Muhammadiyah Office in Jakarta last Friday.
Even though an observer member is a greater possibility, Mr. Kurtubi does not support this kind of membership, due to the fact that Indonesia still has large oil and gas reserves. He believes that Indonesia could hold a key role in OPEC. Mr. Kurtubi highlighted that any country can be an observer with OPEC’s approval, and as an observer any rights to vote within OPEC will be abolished.
“We have large confirmed reserves of natural gas and oil, therefore repairing the processing system would elevate production,” Mr. Kurtubi explained.
Giving a different perspective on Indonesia’s intention to rejoin OPEC, energy pundit Marwan Batubara is optimistic that Indonesia can be accepted as an OPEC member. Mr. Batubara sees positive impacts in being a member of OPEC and related advantages in joint sales operations with other key players in natural gas and oil.
“By becoming a member [of OPEC], we will obtain better prices and assistance,” Mr. Batubara asserted.
However, Mr. Batubara added that the government’s intentions may be overshadowed by the sole satisfaction of merely getting the title of being an official OPEC member. He is further requesting President Jokowi’s administration to intensify a G-to-G approach with fellow oil producing countries, which may lead to cheaper oil and gas prices.
Mr. Batubara concludes that by using G-to-G, Indonesia’s presence will be beneficial to OPEC. He also stated that in order to achieve long-term transactions, President Jokowi should pay the king of Saudi Arabia a visit, as well as the directors of Pertamina and Aramco.
(hot/kc)
Nadia Maharani, Kartini L Makmur
Three to four decades ago, Indonesia was once known as one of the world’s major producers and exporters of oil. This status was affirmed by Indonesia back in the 1960s when it joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an organization that aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set its price on the world market.Unfortunately, due to an inability to produce enough for its domestic needs, in 2008 the Indonesian government decided to leave OPEC, with Indonesia’s membership in OPEC suspended since 2009. Endemic corruption in Indonesia has also driven away investors from investing in new reserves in Indonesia.
Seven years after the decision, the government is now planning to rejoin OPEC. During a conference in Vienna, Austria, an official declaration was made by the government to rejoin OPEC. Represented by Sudirman Said, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, announced its intention to the Secretary General of OPEC, Abdalla Salem el-Badri, as well as a few of OPEC’s key players.
Commenting on the issue, lawmaker Kurtubi (Commission IV) stated that the chances of Indonesia rejoining OPEC are slim to none. The country’s oil production, said Mr. Kurtubi, is very low. He further emphasizes the necessity to fix Indonesia’s oil production system to achieve better results and creating a greater chance to rejoin OPEC.
“Indonesia’s decision to quit OPEC was very embarrassing, and now the government’s desire to return is like nothing but a dream, however, to be an observer member would not be an issue,” said Mr. Kurtubi at the Muhammadiyah Office in Jakarta last Friday.
Even though an observer member is a greater possibility, Mr. Kurtubi does not support this kind of membership, due to the fact that Indonesia still has large oil and gas reserves. He believes that Indonesia could hold a key role in OPEC. Mr. Kurtubi highlighted that any country can be an observer with OPEC’s approval, and as an observer any rights to vote within OPEC will be abolished.
“We have large confirmed reserves of natural gas and oil, therefore repairing the processing system would elevate production,” Mr. Kurtubi explained.
Giving a different perspective on Indonesia’s intention to rejoin OPEC, energy pundit Marwan Batubara is optimistic that Indonesia can be accepted as an OPEC member. Mr. Batubara sees positive impacts in being a member of OPEC and related advantages in joint sales operations with other key players in natural gas and oil.
“By becoming a member [of OPEC], we will obtain better prices and assistance,” Mr. Batubara asserted.
However, Mr. Batubara added that the government’s intentions may be overshadowed by the sole satisfaction of merely getting the title of being an official OPEC member. He is further requesting President Jokowi’s administration to intensify a G-to-G approach with fellow oil producing countries, which may lead to cheaper oil and gas prices.
Mr. Batubara concludes that by using G-to-G, Indonesia’s presence will be beneficial to OPEC. He also stated that in order to achieve long-term transactions, President Jokowi should pay the king of Saudi Arabia a visit, as well as the directors of Pertamina and Aramco.
(hot/kc)