NGOs fret as govt pushes on with nuclear agenda
NGOs fret as govt pushes on with nuclear agenda
JAKARTA (JP): Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) voiced their objections over the weekend to the government's plan to push ahead with its plan to build Indonesia's first nuclear power plant without involving the public in the process.
Led by the Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the NGOs said in a statement on Saturday that they began to worry when the director of the National Atomic Agency Djali Ahimsa announced that the government would soon accept construction proposals from potential bidders.
The government is not being sincere or open on this issue, said the statement, which was also signed by representatives of Gugus Analisis, Pelangi Indonesia and the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear Society.
The groups challenged the government to submit the nuclear power issue to public debate.
Djali reported to President Soeharto last week on the progress on the government-commissioned feasibility studies for the country's first nuclear power plant. He said the studies were nearing completion and the government would soon accept bids from contractors. Construction could begin as early as 1998.
He said that the plan calls for the construction of a 1,800 megawatt plant in Central Java's Muria Peninsula.
The government has been expected to announce its decision on whether or not to go nuclear this year. President Soeharto has repeatedly said that Indonesia will only turn to nuclear energy as a last resort.
Anti-nuclear activists were baffled by Djali's statement last week, which they said gave the impression that a decision had already been made. They recalled that Djali once promised to involve the public before making a final decision.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation in a separate statement over the weekend said that Djali's statement indicated that everything about the project had been decided except for the financing.
Now the decision to go nuclear appears to hinge on the arrival of an investor, the foundation said in its statement.
Djali said the potential bidders with an interest in the project are Westinghouse of the United States in cooperation with Japan's Mitsubishi, and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
From Solo, Central Java, another non-governmental organization said Djali's statement reflects a total lack of respect for the public.
Wahyu Susilo SS, coordinator at Energy for the People Organization, said the International Atomic Energy Association requires that final decisions on building nuclear power plants be conducted in an open and democratic way.
"A referendum on the subject is mandatory," said Wahyu as quoted in the Kompas daily on Saturday. (anr)