House calls for independent watch body no nuclear power<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives called yesterday
\nfor an independent body to be established to supervise the use of
\nnuclear power.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Buang of the United Development Party (PPP) faction
\nmade the proposal in a meeting of the House Commission IX on
\nscience and technology and State Minister of Research and
\nTechnology B.J. Habibie yesterday.<\/p>\n
The government should constitute the body to control nuclear
\npower application, but it should work independently, Buang said.<\/p>\n
The proposed body should answer directly to the President, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Habibie welcomed the suggestion, saying the body could
\nresemble the respected National Commission on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
The rights body was formed on January 1994, in the face of
\ndoubts about its ability to maintain independence when
\ninvestigating rights violations by powerful bodies such the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
The commission has received much praise recently for its
\nindependence and courage.<\/p>\n
Habibie acknowledged that the body must be independent from
\nthe agency that manages nuclear power.<\/p>\n
"The executive body and the control body should not be manned
\nby the same person," he said.<\/p>\n
Nuclear watch bodies in the United States, Germany, France and
\nJapan are independent and work directly under the heads of state,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's meeting was called to deliberate the nuclear power
\nbill.<\/p>\n
The bill should consider future applications of nuclear
\ntechnology, including research on health and agriculture, and
\npower generation, said Habibie.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi), a non-
\ngovernmental organization opposed to the government's plan to
\nbuild nuclear power plant, said the bill was mere ploy for the
\ngovernment to finally legitimize the nuclear plant.<\/p>\n
The organization said many House members have limited
\nknowledge about nuclear power and they are, therefore,
\nunqualified to deliberate the bill in such a short time.<\/p>\n
"The bill should be totally revised," the organization said.<\/p>\n
The organization also said that the authority to decide
\nwhether or not Indonesia needs a nuclear power plant should not
\nbe the government's alone. "The danger of possessing a nuclear
\npower plant and of nuclear waste is so great," the organization
\ncited.<\/p>\n
Walhi also criticized the government-sponsored bill because it
\ndoes not have any provisions about the planned power plant. (05)<\/p>",
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