Consumers demand justice

Consumers demand justice

The explanation by the chief director of state electricity
company PLN on Sunday's power outage underscores the position of
consumers. They are all too easily penalized for being late in
paying their bills yet it is difficult for them to demand
accountability from PLN.

The minister of mines and energy's statement that the power
cut was planned casts an even more serious light on the
situation. The providers of our public services can implement
measures that are planned in advance and damaging to consumers
without even bothering to notify them.

In the past few years, however, we have witnessed a growing
awareness among our people on their rights and obligations,
occurring at the same time their tolerance of social and economic
injustice declines. Our people have a heightened awareness of
their position in society and no longer submit passively to
unjust and arbitrary acts.

The continuation of this trend will lead to the emergence of a
consumer society in which the public is fully aware of its rights
and obligations, and in which rational thinking prevails. The
people, having fulfilled their obligations as consumers, will
demand better service in return.

The power blackout should serve as a reminder for us to start
improving the quality of our public services.

-- Republika, Jakarta