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)