Electricity tariff hikes criticized

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the House of Representatives (DPR), businessmen and economic analysts shared concern that next month's electricity tariff hikes will hit small-scale subscribers and consumers of goods.

"I am afraid that the tariff hikes will be used as a reason to increase prices of consumer goods and industrial products by market players," Iskandar Mandji, a member of the DPR's Commission VI, told The Jakarta Post here on Saturday.

He reminded that increases in electricity tariffs are generally followed by rises in consumer goods and other products.

"I therefore call for the government to improve its control on market activities to assure the public on the stability of consumer goods' prices, otherwise the small consumers will be badly affected," he said.

He also questioned on the government's policy to increase the electricity billing rates by an average of 7.68 percent.

The tariff for small households with a capacity of between 60 volt amperes (VA) and 200 VA, for example, will increase by 7.52 percent to Rp 71.50 per kilowatt hour (kWh).

On Friday Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana announced that the government has also allowed the state electricity company PT PLN to make tariff adjustments every three months on the basis of the impacts of inflation, depreciation of the rupiah, increases in fuel prices and electricity charges determined by privately-run power generators.

Sri Bintang Pamungkas, a member of DPR's Budgetary Commission, said that it was not a good way for the government to burden small consumers with limited and fixed incomes for the sake of PLN.

"If PLN needs big investments, it can issue bonds and shares instead of increasing electricity tariffs," he said, adding that he preferred to see a higher increase in electricity tariffs for the industrial sectors due to their good financial capability.

Ignorance

Zumrotin, chairperson of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Agency, said that the tariff hikes show the government's ignorance of the conditions of poor consumers.

Mubha Kahar Muang, a member of the Budgetary Commission, said: "I don't agree that PLN should increase its billing rates for collecting money to financing its projects. I would say that PLN's improvement of its efficiency is a better way of collecting money."

She was quoted by Kompas daily as saying that due to inefficiency of operation, PLN's losses in the distribution and transmission activities have thus far reached over 12 percent of its generation output.

"Our study showed that one percent loss is worth Rp 58 billion per annum," she said.

She also complained that the calculation of the planned three- monthly tariff adjustment will be too difficult for the public. "I am afraid that the complicated calculation will be an instrument of manipulation and irregularities," she reminded.

Chairman of a major hotel and property business Sahid Group, Sukamdani S. Gitosardjono, said the increase in electricity tariffs for industry will unavoidably affect production costs.

"I honestly say that the electricity tariff hikes will have bad impact on the industry, which will in turn affect buyers," he said.

Hotel

"On the hotel industry, I estimated that the new electricity tariffs will raise operational costs by around four to five percent," he added.

The hotel industry will face an increase in electricity tariffs by over eight percent. For small-size hotel industry, for example, with a capacity of between 250 VA and 99 kilovolt amperes (kVa), the rates will increase to Rp 142.64 per kWh from Rp 129.89 per kWh.

Yulia Hasan, director of MWM Garment Corp., said that the electricity tariff rises will extremely hit the textile industry, whose activities mostly dependent on electricity.

She disagreed with the government, which contended that the new electricity billing rates are still the lowest in Asia and the Pacific.

"The problem is that Indonesians' purchasing power is still relatively low," she added.

President of PT Great River Industries Sunyoto Tanudjaya said the tariff hikes will increase costs for garment production by about two percent.

T. Palgunadi, president of PT Astra International, said that the impact of the tariff hikes on the automotive industry is small.

"I have a positive opinion on the new tariff policy. The policy will in fact force the industrial sector to improve efficiency, which is very important to anticipate fiercer competition during the new era of economic liberalization," he argued.(fhp)

Editorial -- Page 4