Ambalat: Berikan Gambaran Besarannya Sehingga Nampak Urgency-nya

Dirilis pertama di Facebook pribadi.

Aku menulis empat tahun yang lalu bahwa di Ambalat kita bisa dapatkan dari 100 juta sampai 1 miliar barel minyak.

Separately, Andang Bachtiar, chairman of the Indonesian Geologists Association, estimated the deposit of oil in Ambalat would range from over 100 million to one billion barrels. A huge deposit that could contributes to the country's dwindling oil production.

These huge reserves serves had become the key point in the dispute, according to Andang, who claimed that geologically speaking, the area belongs to Indonesia.

"The Ambalat area practically belongs to Indonesia as it is a part of the Tarakan Basin (in East Kalimantan). Malaysia has extended its coastline to the south by 10 kilometer in 2002, claiming that it was an archipelago state. While in fact, it is not," Andang remarked.

Elsewhere, Iin said that, upon learning the clarification from both Shell and Petronas, the government would decide on the next step.

"We'll see their explanation over the case and then decide what should we do against it.”

Shell, Petronas Asked to Clarify
The Jakarta Post
Selasa, 15 Maret 2005
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja

Kemarin, saat ditanya wartawan Tempo, aku agak lebih pasti: dari satu prospek saja (mereka menuliskannya sebagai titik tambang) kita bisa dapatkan sekitar 764 juta barel minyak dan 1.4 TCF gas, in place, P50, Resources (jadi bukan reserves/cadangan).

Tapi anehnya sampai sekarang koq Pemerintah malu-malu untuk memberitahukan ke publik berapa besar sih sebenarnya potensi kekayaan kita di daerah perbatasan itu? Aku yakin seyakin yakinnya mereka sudah menghitungnya. Tapi koq gak dikeluar-keluarin juga ya?

Mikir baiknya, mungkin supaya nggak membuat panik pengambil kebijakan bahwa potensi kita sangat besar di sana. Atau malahan itu dianggap sangat kecil? Hehehehe koq kelihatannya malah tenang-tenang saja.

Berapapun potensinya, it is still worth to be defended. Jangan sampai kasus Timor Gap 1975 terulang lagi. Jangan sampai Sipadan Ligitan 2002 terulang lagi. Jangan sampai.