Your comments on the power crisis and its impacts on the Indonesian economy
PLN? Does that mean pusat listrik nggak ada (center for no electricity)?
STAVE
Jakarta
State-owned electricity company PLN has been saying the same thing for the last few years, running all their turbines until they break and "need maintenance" and not investing all that much in new generating plants. The government isn't exactly doing much either.
BEN
Jakarta
The cause is so simple: PLN's lack of management, sacrificing everyone just for your own sake. Invest your money to maintain the assets, not only for your board of directors, and the problem will end. Very silly.
SIGIT
Jakarta
The issue of blackouts has persisted in certain parts of Indonesia for some time. Can the government do something to resolve this issue?
What is the point of promoting Indonesia through major events such as Visit Indonesia 2008 and Interfood Indonesia 2008, when the country can't even provide a regular supply of the most basic necessities - in this case power?
We all know PLN is the only power supply company here. Indonesia comprises 33 provinces on five main islands. PLN blames the blackouts on a shortage of coal stockpiles.
How about the blackouts on Sumatra, now a year old? Is this because of a coal shortage too? I doubt it, because PLN said it was due to old generators breaking down.
Given all this, why has the government never considered privatization? It will take PLN at least five to 10 years to resolve the current problems, during which blackouts will only get worse. How long will this issue persist?
The government will probably consider privatization when major investors start abandoning the country. Look at the bigger picture: by privatizing the power supply, the country is not risking its fate with a single supplier.
Privatizing will allow for the introduction of new technology that will benefit PLN and the country itself. PLN is the first player in Indonesia. It controls all the relevant infrastructure.
It won't cause any harm to PLN if a few more players are added. Indonesia is experiencing tremendous growth at the moment. Are investors willing to wait another year or two given the current situation?
How much longer will industries - manufacturing, let's say -be able to absorb losses? At the end of the day, all those losses will be passed on to the customer. This explains why the inflation rate keeps rising.
SUE
Jakarta
Businesspeople are worried about the power crisis because it will badly affect their businesses. State-owned electricity company PLN should prepare compensation for any power cuts.
DEDE LESMANA ELO
Tangerang, Banten
Many parties have suffered losses from the power crisis! The simple question is how we (and government) resolve this crisis. We should take real action such as reducing electricity use during busy hours or turning idle lamps off and not just wait for the government to promise to cope with the problem.
FAJAR
Bandung
Investing in wind and solar energy would support both business and energy sectors. Those energy sources do not pollute and are a great step forward after the promises made at the Bali climate change conference.
CHARLOTTE
Ubud, Bali
Our power crisis is going to be tremendously devastating as most businesses rely on electric power. Still, we cannot supply power when we don't have the fuel to produce it.
But our country is rich in oil and gas. Unfortunately, most of our upstream and downstream oil and gas engineering experts are not here at home. They are in the Middle East. It's pointless to blame anyone. Let this be a lesson to all of us, a bitter one.
MOELJONO ADIKOESOEMO
Jakarta
