Our nuclear energy dilemma

Amid the public controversy over the building of a nuclear power plant at the foot of Mount Muria, near Jepara in Central Java, the House of Representatives has finally given its stamp of approval to a bill on nuclear energy.

There is no doubt that nuclear energy is more efficient than other means of generating electric power. However, economic considerations are not the only ones we should ponder in this particular case. Considerations of safety and the survival of an entire nation are of greater importance. This is all the more true since in our country we still have other sources of energy at our disposal.

In several advanced countries with human resources comparatively superior to ours -- such as France and Japan -- nuclear power plants are being closed down. The same is happening in the United States and Britain.

We need an honest answer to the question whether building a nuclear power plant is truly the ambition of many, or that of just a handful of individuals. It is a high price to pay if the entire nation must be sacrificed in order to fulfill the ambitions of just a few.

While we wait to see how the bill will fare in the hands of the President, the government will put on hold any activities that are related to the Gunung Muria nuclear power plant construction project until all the provisions that are contained in the bill can be met -- and most importantly, until the House of Representatives has been consulted.

Finally, we hope that the House will be more conscientious in weighing the benefits against the disadvantages of a nuclear power plant for the sake of the nation.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta