"What is important is you must remain calm, think clearly and rationally. We refer it all to our mission and responsibility as a government," he said at the opening of a cabinet meeting here on Saturday evening.
He said government officials are obliged to continue running the administration and implementing development while improving the people`s welfare despite social and political escalation in the past few weeks.
"Things like that are common in a country based on democracy. We have experienced situation like this many times before including factors that have affected developments at world levels on our economy and national life," he said.
President Yudhoyono said the discussion of the revised 2012 budget early on Saturday was a dynamic political process.
"The revised 2012 budget has been set and certainly we will conduct consolidation but it must not be too long. One or two weeks may be enough and after that we must move forward to carry out our tasks in the development efforts," he said.
He said the revised budget would certainly have consequences that the government has to bear to achieve targets of the budget or economic development.
The House of Representatives (DPR) voted to allow the government to raise the fuel price only if the Indonesia Crude Price rises or drops by 15 percent in the current six month period.
Members of the Indonesia Democratic Party (PDIP) and the People`s Conscience Party (Hanura) factions walked out of the meeting when the vote on the decision was about to be done.
A total 356 members voted for and 82 voted against the insertion of a 6A clause on Article 7 Paragraph 6 on the budget allowing the government to raise the fuel price. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
