Electrical equipment needs standardizing

Recently I came across an article from The Jakarta Post which quotes a Mr. Januar Muin of the Association of the Indonesian Electric Equipment Manufacturers. I'm amazed to learn that such an association exists, I hope some of its members read the Post because I don't know how else to reach them.

In my house in South Jakarta there are several different types of electrical wall receptacles which accept a variety of plugs. Whenever I go to buy replacement equipment (which is very often because of shoddy construction), I have to take along the broken part, because otherwise I never know if the new one is identical to the old one. There are two kinds of two prong plugs with fat pins, there are two prong plugs with thin pins, there are three prong plugs with flat pins. They all have some things in common: they are poorly made, don't fit securely in the socket and are dangerous.

Please Mr. Muin, why can't an association like yours do something about this deplorable and dangerous situation? It must cost the Indonesian economy dearly to cope with such a miss mash of designs, not to mention the many fires which are caused by faulty equipment made by the members of your organization.

All developed countries (and most developing ones as well) long ago standardized electrical designs and set certain minimum standards of quality. That Indonesia hasn't is as much a blight on and a hindrance to its development as air and water pollution. Maybe more so because people die faster because of it.

GARY GENTRY

Jakarta