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.