House approves nuclear power bill

House approves nuclear power bill

JAKARTA (JP): The government pledged yesterday not to build a
nuclear power plant in the near future despite the House of
Representatives' endorsement of the nuclear power bill.

State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie said,
the government would have to go nuclear once other energy sources
failed to meet future needs.

"There are alternatives, like geothermal in Sumatra or
hydropower and natural gas. Going nuclear will be the
government's last step," he said after the House plenary meeting.

Preliminary studies costing Rp 22 billion (US$9.5 million),
including feasibility research, on a nuclear power plant have
been underway near the dormant volcano Mt. Muria in Jepara,
Central Java, for the past 20 years.

However, Habibie said the government had yet to decide whether
to go ahead with the planned nuclear plant, which is expected to
produce 7,200 megawatts of electricity.

The bill survived its final hurdles in the form of a
demonstration staged by some 50 antinuclear activists and a last-
minute interruption by Mire Laksmiari Priyonggo of the Indonesian
Democratic Party faction.

It was the first plenary session marred by an interruption in
the five years since legislators were elected at the last general
election in 1992.

Applause

Mire drew attention and applause from attendants in the
session when she alleged the House had failed to meet the quorum
required to pass a bill.

"We pity the President if he had to sign a document approved
by only 15 percent of the House members," she said.

Mire said she had counted there were only between 60 and 75
members present, out of a total of 500.

In response to Mire's objection, Deputy House Speaker
Soetedjo, who chaired the session, said that Mire was not well-
informed about internal House rules.

Soetedjo quoted an article of the rules which stipulates that
the House only needs "the signatures, not attendance" of at least
half of its members to pass a bill. A total of 317 legislators
signed the presence list yesterday.

Mire rejected Soetedjo's argument, saying the legislators had
signed the list for two sessions. The other meeting yesterday
discussed the narcotics bill.

Vice chairman of the PDI faction, Djupri, said that Mire had
breached faction procedures and therefore could face sanctions
from the party's leadership.

"She should have used her chance to lodge her protest during
the deliberations, not in the (final) plenary meeting," Djupri
said.

Habibie said the newly endorsed law, which he lauded as "a
grand work of the House", did not immediately justify the
government's plan to construct a nuclear power plant but gave any
future plans the necessary legal legitimacy.

"It doesn't mean that the law will ban the government from
building a nuclear power plant. It's just important for us to
prepare an umbrella before rain comes."

Muria

The United Development Party was the only faction to urge the
government to stop all activities concerning the Muria plan
before it sets up an executive body, a supervisory body and an
independent nuclear advisory council as ordered by the law.

The executive body carries out all nuclear-related activities.
All plans to construct a plant are subject to scrutiny from the
supervisory body.

The advisory council, comprising experts and community
leaders, enables the public to control the performance of the
supervisory body.

Executive director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment
Emmy Hafild, who attended the House session, lamented the
endorsement of the bill.

"Today is the saddest day of my life, because we are starting
the development of technology that is on the decline in other
countries," she said. "We are 20 years behind the times."

She said Indonesia could claim to have made any progress only
if it mastered other, nonnuclear, power-generating technology
such as solar energy.

The Office of the State Minister of Environment said it would
listen to criticism and suggestions from the public regarding the
nuclear bill, especially from an environmental standpoint.

"The nuclear issue is a part of the environmental problem
which should be monitored by all parties," Dana A. Kusuma, the
office's director of international cooperation, was quoted by
Antara as saying. (amd/aan/05)