Power-holders sweat it out in energy cuts<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Medan\/Semarang<\/p>\n
There was something missing in the presidential office on Monday:
\nthe sight of people wearing dark suits.<\/p>\n
From presidential guards, press officers, presidential
\nspokesman Dino Patti Djalal, Minister of Mines and Energy Purnomo
\nYusgiantoro and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, all traded in
\ntheir suits for casual shirts and slacks.<\/p>\n
The move by the President, who wore a short-sleeved batik
\nshirt, and other officials were apparently intended to set an
\nexample for Indonesian people to support the government-led
\nenergy conservation campaign.<\/p>\n
The national campaign follows the recent issuance of
\nPresidential Decree No. 10\/2005 on energy conservation.<\/p>\n
Apart from changing the official attire, the presidential
\noffice has also started to reduce power consumption from air
\nconditioners. The temperature in the press room was increased to
\n28 degrees Celsius from the normal temperature of as low as 16
\ndegrees.<\/p>\n
The outside temperature in Jakarta usually hits between 30 and
\n34 degrees Celsius in the afternoons.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, 16 ministers and high-
\nranking officials had also discarded their suits, while attending
\na meeting on economic affairs at Kalla's office. They wore either
\npolo shirts, safari suits or batik shirts.<\/p>\n
However, the temperature in the room, where the meeting was
\nheld, was still too cold for most of the journalists.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, not all state officials responded to the
\npresidential instruction.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Religious Affairs still had its thermostat set
\nquite low. During a news conference at the ministry on Jl.
\nLapangan Banteng located near the presidential office,
\njournalists still felt cold, the detik.com news portal reported.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni and acting
\nDirector General of Islamic guidance and haj management Slamet
\nRiyanto may not have been affected by the low temperature of the
\nroom as they both wore suits.<\/p>\n
Also, the office of the finance ministry, which is located
\nnext to the office of the religious affairs ministry, was yet to
\ncomply fully with the presidential instruction on energy
\nconservation.<\/p>\n
Susilo has also asked his presidential guards to reduce the
\nnumber of vehicles used for convoys of the President and Vice
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
"The number of motorbikes and cars must be reduced, so we will
\nbe able to contribute to the energy conservation efforts," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The President called on wealthier citizens to "reduce a little
\nof their comfort" to help make the power conservation campaign a
\nsuccess.<\/p>\n
"People, who have been living in hardship, do not have to save
\n(energy) as they have already been saving it. I thank them for
\nthat," Susilo said.<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin instructed all
\nof his subordinates to join the national energy conservation
\ncampaign, including a ban on the use of air conditioners on
\nFridays and limiting the use of official cars.<\/p>\n
He said that he had made the call a long time ago, before the
\nissuance of the presidential decree.<\/p>\n
Local residents, however, continued to be inconvenienced the
\nfuel shortage. Most went from one gasoline station to another to
\nfill up their tanks, to no avail.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, the capital of Central Java, Governor Mardiyanto
\ncanceled a major motorbike rally scheduled to take place in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
He also ordered his subordinates to limit the use of official
\nand private sedans, asking them to travel in groups either by
\nminivans or buses.<\/p>\n
The governor also suggested that local officials use public
\ntransportation instead of private vehicles to go to work.<\/p>\n
The presidential decree was issued during a Cabinet meeting on
\nSunday, which was also attended by governors from all provinces
\nthroughout the country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/power-holders-sweat-it-out-in-energy-cuts-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}