South Kalimantan Residents Sue PLN Over Prolonged Power Crisis
The community, through the Borneo Nusantara Legal Aid Institute (LBH Borneo Nusantara), has officially registered a lawsuit against PT PLN (Persero) at the Banjarmasin Administrative Court. The suit concerns the ongoing electricity crisis that has been widely detrimental to the people of South Kalimantan.
After a lengthy process involving the opening of complaint posts, inventory of evidence, and legal analysis, LBH Borneo Nusantara formally filed the lawsuit on Monday (3/8). “This case is not merely an ordinary administrative dispute; it will test whether the provision of public services in the electricity sector has been carried out in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, the General Principles of Good Governance, and prevailing laws and regulations,” stated Dr. Muhamad Pazri, Coordinator of the Power Outage Advocacy Team at LBH Borneo Nusantara.
The lawsuit was not prepared hastily. Over several weeks, the team collected data, inventoried documents, verified evidence, and analysed regulations and administrative law doctrines. The entire process was conducted professionally, objectively, and based on a scientific approach to ensure every argument presented has a solid legal foundation. The team also analysed the real impact of the prolonged blackouts on public services, economic activities, the business world, and technical aspects of electricity supply.
To build a comprehensive legal argument, LBH Borneo Nusantara involved four experts in administrative law, economics, and engineering. Their opinions will be a crucial part of the evidentiary process in court, allowing legal, technical, and economic aspects to be examined openly based on facts and applicable legal provisions.
Syarifuddin Nisfuady, Chairman of the Banjarmasin City Forum (FORKOT) and the grantor of power of attorney for the lawsuit, emphasised that the public has suffered the consequences of repeated and prolonged blackouts for too long. “This lawsuit is not just about FORKOT as the plaintiff. It is the voice of the people who have directly felt the impact of the blackouts, from disrupted economic activities and public services to damaged electronic equipment. We hope that through this trial, all issues can be brought to light so that the public gets the answers and legal certainty they have been waiting for,” he asserted.
With the registration of this lawsuit, the LBH Borneo Nusantara Power Outage Advocacy Team affirmed its commitment to overseeing the entire trial process professionally, independently, and responsibly. Rolling blackouts are still occurring in South and Central Kalimantan. PLN has targeted resolving the power crisis by the end of August, following the completion of repairs to several coal-fired power plants.