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Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Agung Laksono has proposed the Parliament to initiate a setting up of a supervisory and monitoring team of direct cash assistance (BLT) given by the government to the poor families as compensation to the fuel price hike.

"There are three steps that I would like to suggest. First, DPR should initiate the establishment of a Supervisory and Monitoring Team of BLT funds. It`s important because it concerns the implementation of a budget post in the State Budget," Agung Laksono said here on Sunday on the sidelines of his working visit to West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province.

The second step was to increase the oil production so that it would be equal to the oil demand in the public, he said referring to the fuel price hike.

"Economically, there is still a gap between oil demand and oil supply, moreover that the existing infrastructures supporting the oil distribution nation-wide is still not adequate. It`s obvious that it has created serious problems like what are happening currently," he said.

The third step was to encourage energy saving movement. "This program should be in the same time with the development of alternative
energy as an effort to change the fossil fuel consumption." he said.

The three steps were crucial in order to prevent a similar experience in 2005 to repeat again, he said.

"At that time (2005), the fuel price hike policy was not followed by measures to increase oil production and better distribution process of oil," the House speaker said.

He said that the government needed to listen to the people`s opinions regarding the oil price increase.

"The government should listen to the people`s aspirations as they have complained that the fuel price hike has burdened the life," he said.

The Government`s compensation in the form of BLT funds and others was not significant enough to ease the people`s ordeals," he said.

Following the fuel price hike, the government has allocated Rp14,1 trillion for a cash transfer program for some 19,1 million low-income families across the country. Each family was expected to receive Rp100,000 per month in 18 months.

The government also provided soft loans without collateral to small businesses.

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