SBY calls for unity in energy crisis

SBY calls for unity in energy crisis

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono invited leading political and
public figures to the State Palace on Thursday for prayers with a
message, to forge a united front to face the current energy
crisis.

"I beg for your patience, understanding and support so that we
can weather this crisis," the President said in a brief off-the-
cuff speech before the prayers. "This calls for togetherness and
a lot of hard work."

The government has come under attack from its detractors in
the House of Representatives and from students and non-
governmental organizations for raising the domestic prices of
fuel by 80 percent for gasoline, and nearly 300 percent for
kerosene, which is widely used for cooking by the poor.

The increase came into effect just days before the start of
Ramadhan. Some believe the fasting has meant that protests about
the move, while vocal, have been few, and students and some non-
governmental organizations say they plan massive street
demonstrations after Ramadhan ends next week.

Meanwhile, the program to give cash benefits to the poor to
help them weather the price hikes has gone awry, with chaotic and
uneven distribution in many areas leading to deaths and injuries.
The rises have also pushed inflation skywards, past single
digits, with some analysts predicting it could hit 14 percent for
2005.

The President likened the country's current energy crisis,
triggered by soaring international oil prices, with previous
major crises the nation had faced, including December's
devastating tsunami in Aceh and the 1998 political and economic
crisis, along with many others during Indonesia's 60 years of
independence.

One of the biggest lessons of these previous predicaments, he
noted, was that the nation united to face and eventually overcome
them.

"We have to stay optimistic. The storm shall pass," he said.

In the case of the Aceh tsunami, the President underlined the
huge expressions of solidarity that the disaster prompted within
Indonesia and around the world.

Every crisis, he said, brought the best out of the nation, and
the nation's energy problems had spurned new initiatives and
creative ideas.

These included new energy diversification and conservation
programs that were now underway.

His brief speech was followed by a short sermon delivered by
Nasaruddin Umar, the rector of the Institute for the Koranic
Science (PTIQ) Network in Jakarta.

After breaking fast, the President, Vice President Jusuf Kalla
and guests conducted the Maghreeb (dusk) prayers together.