Going nuclear

Going nuclear

Objections from environmentalists and other concerned groups
notwithstanding, the House of Representatives yesterday passed a
government-sponsored bill on nuclear energy which levels the way
for the government to build Indonesia's first nuclear power plant
on the Muria peninsula on the north coast of Central Java by the
year 2003.

Although authorities have repeatedly denied the bill is
designed to push through the government's plan without the need
to hold a referendum, as opponents have demanded, the provisions
contained in the draft make it possible for the government to do
just that. Article 13 of the bill states that the "construction
and operation of commercial nuclear reactors is determined by the
government after consultation with the House of Representatives".

Given the existing political balance in this country and the
fact the government has obviously set its mind on going ahead
with the plan, the outcome of the final deliberations in the
national legislature yesterday can hardly be called a surprise.
What may astonish many, though, is the speed with which the issue
was resolved -- in favor, of course, of Indonesia going nuclear,
at least in its energy supply. It took the House members -- most
of whom knew "next to nothing about nuclear energy" to quote a
member opposed to the plan -- a mere 37 days to reach a decision
and pass the bill for presentation to President Soeharto, who is
then expected to sign it into law.

Under the circumstances, critics may be forgiven for getting
the impression that the speed with which the parliamentary
procedures were completed was meant to place them before a fait
accompli. One would have thought that on so grave an issue -- one
that might adversely affect the lives of hundreds, if not
thousands, of people and their offspring, as was the case in
Chernobyl -- the House of Representatives could easily have
consulted a few independent experts in order to reach a decision
that accounts for the present and future generations of
Indonesians. Better still, a public debate could have been held
on the issue.

Admittedly, the proponents of the plan have a point in saying
that nuclear power will benefit Indonesia's push towards greater
industrialization in the foreseeable future. In the coming
decades, Indonesia is projected to require 27,000 additional
megawatts of power to provide industries and homes in Java and
Bali with electricity. The planned Muria nuclear power plant will
provide 1,800 megawatts. According to the director-general of
atomic energy, seven to 12 nuclear reactors will be needed to
provide the required 27,000 megawatts.

But objections to nuclear power cannot simply be dismissed.
Even in the United States, which is the world's leading nuclear
power, a satisfactory answer to the question of nuclear waste
disposal still has not been found and considerations of health,
expenditure and the traumatic experiences of past catastrophes
have deterred the country in its push towards the utilization of
nuclear power as a source of energy.

The debate over the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear
energy is set to continue. In the meantime, it is important for
us to learn from the experiences of others. Among the calamities
mankind has known, nuclear catastrophes are surely the most
traumatic. That being the case, it is imperative the public be
fully informed -- either through exposure to impartial
information, public debate or both -- and that it be involved in
the decision making process. Regretfully, this has apparently not
been fully met in the present case.