No light matter
No light matter
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's circular on energy-conserving
measures reflects his brisk and positive response to the
President's instruction on the same matter.
Nevertheless, the city administration's move to halve street
illumination has drawn criticism.
Street lights in various areas are switched off at night, even
on thoroughfares.
No indication of an increase in street crime has been reported
since the policy was launched early this week, but those who are
concerned about public safety argue that, even with adequate
illumination, the streets are not as safe as they should be.
Others have complained the city is no longer beautiful at
night as the decorative lights adorning statues and trees have
been switched off. Without its bright lights, the capital looks
like a sleepy town, they argue.
City-owned cemeteries, which have been lit up at night for
years following beautification programs sponsored by the
administration, are now also poorly lit at night.
In his July 12 circular, Sutiyoso said the energy conservation
campaign included reductions in the use of electrical appliances,
air conditioners, escalators and elevators.
Stern sanctions, the governor said, would be imposed on
building owners who failed to comply with the circular. Though he
did not specify the nature of the punishments.
Saving energy should be second nature to citizens, a habit
learned as children. Children should be taught to use electricity
economically by turning off lights and appliances when they are
not needed.
The Presidential Instruction and the governor's circular have
apparently come as a shock to many as we have used electricity
extravagantly for a long time now.
It is unclear if the national drive on energy conservation
will endure, but the spirit of it deserves citizens' support.
The appeal for families to reduce the use of electricity at home
is a worthy one. However, the reduction of street illumination
needs to be reviewed. As the policy affects the public, the City
Council should have been consulted before its implementation.
As serious as security matters in the energy conservation
campaign, citizens' right to enjoy public lighting must also be
respected as they pay for that monthly.
Customers of state power firm PLN are charged 3 percent of
their total monthly electricity bill for street lighting. This
reality was denied by the city administration when it halved
street lighting without asking for public input.
Sharing this opinion, speaker of the Jakarta Legislative
Council Ade Surapriatna said that if the administration halved
street lighting in the city, customers of PLN should be charged
half the amount for public lighting. It seems that the
administration's decision on the reduction in the use of lighting
has not been discussed with the City Council.
Last but not least is the fact that electricity theft by
households and industries continues amid the energy-saving
campaign. A house-to-house operation on the illegal use of
electricity must be conducted as part of the drive. So far,
electricity theft is still rampant among households and
industries, inflicting a financial loss on the state.
Three months after the circular took effect a comprehensive
evaluation should be conducted and made public. The evaluation
must include reports on the total money saved in the campaign and
from the power theft operation.
In this way the public will acknowledge that the governor's
circular is a sincere effort to save energy, not merely a
demonstration of herd mentality.