DILI, 09 june 2023 (TATOLI) – Gasoline prices tend to increase quickly in the country as the available gasoline supply decreases sharply relative to real or expected gasoline demand or consumption.
For the past three days, car drivers and motorcycle riders have had to wait for hours in a very long queue to be able to fill up their vehicles, causing traffic.
According to the latest observations of Tatoli reporters in Dili and the municipalities, a liter of petrol sold by street vendors topped US$7. This is because most of the petrol stations in the capital Dili and some municipalities were forced to temporarily close as there was no petrol in stock.
The decrease in gasoline supply in the country created a higher gasoline demand, which drove up prices. As a consequence, it caused an increase in the prices of necessities in the municipalities. In fact, the movement and circulation of public transport between Dili and the municipalities started to decrease.
The rising gasoline prices have indeed worried Members of Parliament, calling on relevant authorities to pay special attention to the incident.
“The rising price of gasoline has really caught our attention. We are confused because it seems that the petrol stations are no longer selling gasoline, but the street vendors sell the fuel on the streets,” the Head of the FRETILIN Bench, David Dias Ximenes ‘Mandati’ said, in Dili, today.
Mandati called on the relevant authorities to pay special attention to the rising petrol prices, saying the incident has led many people to commit price gauging.
In his regular meeting with the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, said that Timor-Leste will not fall short of gasoline, adding that petrol will arrive next.
“According to the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority (ANPM), the gasoline will arrive next week,” Ruak told reporters.
He urges communities not to panic over rumors of gasoline shortages, saying the rumors were spread by petrol retailers to manipulate petrol prices.
“The government will not stay silent in this situation. If we don’t have fuel, we will have a total blackout and our patients in hospitals will be paralyzed and there will be no movement of transports,” Ruak said.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
