The morning was still wet with dew when Syahiri, a resident of Gebang, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara stepped hurriedly to the gas station near his house. Two days in a row he came home with an empty tube.
The simple hope of being able to light the stove for the family's breakfast was repeatedly dashed by the increasingly long queues.
Syahiri's story is a portrait of many other residents from the alleys of Mataram City to the remote areas of East Lombok, who in the past week have had to struggle to find three-kilogram gas canisters.
This phenomenon is nothing new. At certain times, such as the Prophet's Birthday, celebrations, or long holidays, subsidized LPG shortages often occur like an annual ritual.
That green gas cylinder isn't just a source of household energy; it's the lifeblood of small families, street vendors, and even food stalls with razor-thin margins. Losing access to gas means a halt to business operations and disruption to daily life.
