Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia

By Beni Bevly
In Indonesia, most natural resources are occupied, exploited, controlled and managed by Indonesian State Owned Enterprises or Badan Usaha Milik Negara (BUMN). In contrary, in the United States, private companies have the right to do such as things, for example Exxon Mobile that becomes the the most profitable company. Even though Indonesia and the United States governments have the different ways to manage their natural resources, there is one common, the price of natural resources, especially the gasoline price keeps increasing.

How are the reactions from people of these two nations regarding the gasoline price hikes? In Indonesia, there is mainly marked with protest and demonstration method that tend to lead to violence. Whereas, the people in the United States tend to utilized media and moral pressure method to the related company, such as Exxon Mobile and to the government. Below are the examples how they utilize media and moral pressure to the government.

Today, there is a news that spreads all over the United States. It mentions about how the hot weather influences gasoline, how it costs consumers and how to act to lower the price.

Fuel expands when temperatures rise, but most retail gas station nozzles don’t adjust for volume differences based on temperature. That oversight means California motorists could be losing up to 3 cents on every gallon, or $480 million annually, according to an estimate by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (Examiner.com, 5/11/2007).

To:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata

Dear California leaders,

We urge you to call a special legislative session to debate and take action on the price of gasoline in California. Prices are at crisis level, and we citizens of your state can’t take it any more.

A fill-up is costing us $7 to $15 more than in the rest of the nation. Prices have passed last year’s record level and it is still weeks before the peak summer driving season begins. Oil companies and refiners are making unheard-of profits from gasoline in our state, with no substantial relief in sight.

We urge you to discuss regulatory structures and changes to bring down prices and prevent unreasonable pump-price spikes like the one we are now enduring.

We want you to act now (Comsumerwatchdog.org, 5/11/2007).

(For you who want to sign a petition, click here).

Both of these methods, Indonesians’ and Americans’ ways, do not really show positive result. Is there any other way to decrease the gasoline price within short term?

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*Beni Bevly holds BA in Political Science, MBA in Marketing, and is a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) candidate. He is the founder of Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia.