Tak terasa sudah empat tahun kita mengalami defisit perdagangan minyak mentah (crude oil). Ada pun defisit bahan bakar minyak (BBM) atau oil products sudah berlangsung sejak tahun 1997.
Kemerosotan harga minyak tahun 2015 amat menolong perbaikan defisit minyak, dari 27 miliar dollar AS tahun 2014 menjadi 14,4 miliar dollar AS tahun 2015 dan turun lagi menjadi 11 miliar dollar AS tahun 2016.
Memasuki tahun 2017 harga minyak merangkak naik. Bank Dunia memerkirakan harga minyak rata-rata tahun ini naik 28,5 persen dibandingkan tahun lalu. Akibatnya, defisit minyak Indonesia diperkirakan bakal naik pula. Dampak lainnya yang perlu diantisipasi adalah kenaikan harga BBM yang berdampak terhadap peningkatan laju inflasi.
Ada baiknya pemerintah mendorong Pertamina lebih fokus meningkatkan usaha di hulu untuk menggenjot produksi minyak mentah, agar setidaknya penurunan produksi minyak nasional bisa ditekan.
Faisal Basri is currently senior lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia and Chief of Advisory Board of Indonesia Research & Strategic Analysis (IRSA). His area of expertise and discipline covers Economics, Political Economy, and Economic Development.
His prior engagement includes Economic Adviser to the President of Republic of Indonesia on economic affairs (2000); Head of the Department of Economics and Development Studies, Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia (1995-98); and Director of Institute for Economic and Social Research at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia (1993-1995), the Commissioner of the Supervisory Commission for Business Competition (2000-2006); Rector, Perbanas Business School (1999-2003).
He was the founder of the National Mandate Party where he was served in the Party as the first Secretary General and then the Deputy Chairman responsible for research and development. He quit the Party in January 2001. He has actively been involved in several NGOs, among others is The Indonesian Movement.
Faisal Basri was educated at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Indonesia where he received his BA in 1985 and graduated with an MA in economics from Vanderbilt University, USA, in 1988.
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