Energy-saving campaign starts from Constitutional Court

Energy-saving campaign starts from Constitutional Court

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Visitors to the Constitutional Court were forced to use the
stairs to get to the second floor of the building on Thursday.
Many attending a hearing during the day also had to take off
their jackets in the usually cool courtroom as the use of air
conditioning has apparently been reduced.

"Why is the elevator shut down?" grumbled one visitor. An
official then pointed out to a "Save Energy" flier on the
elevator.

The Constitutional Court began on Thursday the energy-
conservation drive of the government amid the ongoing fuel
shortage at home and soaring international oil prices. The court
may be the first state institution to start the program.

"From Monday to Thursday, everybody must use the stairs.
The elevator will only be used on Friday to get to the third
floor for Friday prayers," president of the court Jimly
Asshidiqie told a press conference.

Earlier on Wednesday, he attended a meeting between President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other leaders of state institutions
to seek ways to conserve energy in the country, which according
to Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro
is the most inefficient fuel-consuming country in the world.

The Constitutional Court occupies three floors at a building
in Central Jakarta. The first floor accommodates the courtroom
and a press room, while the second floor is for the judges, court
clerks and administration staff. The third floor consists of a
hall, which is usually used for Friday prayers.

Jimly also said that from now on, the Court would no longer
require its judges or clerks to wear suits as the use of the air
conditioning had been reduced. The temperature in the rooms of
the court building is usually set as low as 16 degrees Celsius.
Most rooms in the Court building do not have windows.

"We have also asked officials to limit the use of their cars,"
said Jimly.

Since the start of the fuel shortage at home, which had
sparked panic among motorists across the country, the government
has been campaigning for energy conservation.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla led a limited Cabinet meeting on
the issue on Thursday. Minister Purnomo told reporters after the
meeting that the government would introduce new measures next
week in a bid to conserve the use of energy.

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina, for instance,
will soon issue a regulation that will ban cars with a engine
capacity of above 2,500 cc from using subsidized fuel. This group
of cars will be forced to use the higher quality Pertamax fuel,
which is not subsidized by the government.

Meanwhile, state electricity company PLN said it was
considering imposing an additional fee for electricity use during
peak hours, and another surcharge should global oil prices
continue to soar.

"We haven't decided on the fee amount or surcharge. But we
will surely come up with a regulation soon," said Eddie.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso also said his
administration was preparing massive energy-saving measures to be
imposed on Jakarta residents.

"There are many possible schemes to be regulated in detail,
including the (reduced) use of elevators in offices and
buildings, street lighting, and traffic restriction policies over
the use of private cars," he said.

Higher vehicular taxes and parking fee hikes would be another
possibility to discourage residents from using private cars and
instead to switch to public transportation, he added.