The government has indicated that it will postpone indefinitely its planned restriction on supplies of subsidised fuel. In late February the co-ordinating minister for the economy, Hatta Rajasa, said that rocketing international oil prices as a result of growing political unrest in the Middle East, together with rapid domestic inflation, meant that now was not the right time to introduce the measure. DPR members had earlier called for the postponement of the restriction to prevent popular unrest, as rising global oil prices would have resulted in steep local price increases for non-subsidised fuel in the coming months. Under the proposed measure, fuel used in private cars would no longer be subsidised. The measure had originally been due to take effect in Jakarta from January 1st, but its introduction had already been postponed until end-March. The plan was that subsidies would be phased out slowly across the Indonesian archipelago in the period to 2013. Any delay in removing subsidies, which mainly benefit wealthier, car-owning households, will leave the government facing a larger bill this year. But the issue is politically explosive, and successive governments have failed to rein in this wasteful form of expenditure. As a result, fuel subsidies continue to divert funds away from healthcare, education, infrastructure and other development priorities. The current budget assumes a fuel subsidy bill of Rp95.9trn (US$10.9bn) for 2011, based on the assumption that international oil prices will average US$80/barrel. However, global crude oil prices (dated Brent Blend) stood at US$112/b at end-February, with grades imported for refining into fuel in Indonesia commonly being priced around US$5/b less.