War in Iran, Panic Buying in Aceh |

ayijufridar (76)in Steem4Entrepreneurs • 2 days ago

The statement by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, regarding fuel oil reserves has caused panic in a number of areas, especially in Aceh, which has not yet fully recovered from the impact of the flood disaster. The panic caused long and long queues at a number of public petrol pump stations (SPBU) in various cities.

The queue at the gas station reached up to 3 kilometers. There are residents who don't get a share even though they are willing to spend up to three hours. This condition opens up opportunities for irresponsible parties to take advantage of it, such as hoarding fuel or selling subsidized fuel at high prices.

Maybe Bahlil revealed the true facts as a warning to everyone. The public does not fully understand the emergency level of 20 days of fuel reserves. As Bahlil later clarified, the 20 days did not represent an emergency situation.

According to Bahlil, his statement was related to the average national fuel stock of only 22-23 days. This condition does not reflect limited supply, but rather is related to limited storage facilities. The available tank capacity is not able to accommodate large amounts of fuel. This condition made President Prabowo ask the relevant ministries to increase capacity.

The main question, why is this idea only emerging now? Isn't the threat of an energy crisis often looming, both because of global political turmoil and dwindling oil and gas reserves?

Returning to the panic buying of fuel that hit most of Aceh and several other areas, this condition illustrates how worried people are about the impact of Israel and the United States' attacks on Iran. Global issues now quickly and easily spread throughout the world through the media. The public responded to this information with anxiety about the looming fuel crisis. Eid al-Fitr 1447 H could be a disaster that has never been imagined so far without fuel.

Appeals made by relevant officials in Jakarta or in the regions, including from Pertamina, were unable to reduce public panic. As of Saturday, March 7 2026 morning, there were still long queues at several gas stations.

This condition proves how low public trust in the government is. Every appeal is not enough to reduce public anxiety. Learning from several cases so far, what the government has conveyed does not describe the actual situation.

People are worried that fuel shortages that have occurred due to natural disasters could be repeated due to war disasters. If natural disasters which have visible impacts and are more predictable are not handled well, what about war disasters which are all beyond the government's control.

However, the public should not be plagued by prolonged anxiety, especially if it is exploited by irresponsible parties who want to make a profit, such as hoarding fuel. Under any conditions, people must continue to think rationally.[]