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.