Your comments on the frequent blackouts in Jakarta and its surrounding cities due to the failure of the state-owned electricity company PLN to supply power to the area.
The issue of the frequent blackouts is mostly raised by our capital city Jakarta, they are voicing that the PLN program harms them, as the industrial core and economic hub of the country.
However, it is not only happening in Jakarta; in Pringsewu, Lampung, PLN is causing my family and neighborhood to suffer as there are blackouts twice a day.
Just ask people in other regions. They have to use kerosene for lamps to light their homes. Yet PLN always fails to explain why it happens and why the bills are still so expensive.
Suprayogi
Bandung
I live in Jakarta but now I work for a power plant project in Central Java. I think customers should not ask for compensation from PLN.
Frequent blackouts in several cities in Java are happening because of the power burden from big cities. People's consumption of energy is so high, PLN cannot supply the demand.
The power supply to Jakarta doesn't come from power plants in the surrounding cities. There are facilities to transmit power and they are deteriorating, made worse by the stealing of components from the facilities, such as iron.
I work for a power plant project, so I know how hard our government is trying to fulfill the demand for power from all over Indonesia.
Now, PLN is building a number of power plants.
However, while people from Jakarta are complaining about frequent blackouts, people from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) can't even light their houses.
Pipiet
Jepara, Central Java
Frequent blackouts are like the iceberg phenomenon in the state-owned electricity company PLN. The company needs total reform to make it a transparent company.
Audit is needed. Procurements in the company should be free from corruption.
Dian
Bekasi, West Java
Due to a fire at one of the sentry boxes of the transmission system in Jakarta some weeks ago, PLN was forced to impose rotating power cuts, a situation which has caused its customers, especially businesspeople, heavy losses.
The other problems PLN are facing is that the power capacity is smaller than the demand, and PLN's selling price is lower than its cost production.
Therefore, its selling price needs to be increased so that PLN will not lose money. And we may need laws changed to allow private companies to build power plants in the country.
Abdul Rahim
Tangerang, Banten
For PLN, upgrading, repairs and maintenance are necessary, like in any other country. At the same time, there has to be a plan and schedule advising the consumers to anticipate blackouts and prepare themselves.
But PLN tells us one thing today and does something else - like the 12-hour outage last Saturday.
All the same, we hope the work is progressing well and will be completed very soon and does not have technicians typically dragging their feet and taking half-hourly cigarette breaks.
Rocon Tomi
Tangerang, Banten
PLN, a state owned monopoly, has shown time and again they are unable to carry out their mandate, i.e. provide electricity to the nation in a professional manner.
It seems their management and staff don't care a hoot about the public they are supposed to serve, feeling secure in the fact that as state employees they can not easily be dismissed and that their pension will eventually be paid out to them, no matter how lousy their performance may have been.
Therefore, it would probably be for the best to privatize PLN and get rid of their current unprofessional (mis)management.
V.T. Hopkins
Jakarta
