Dangerous cooking tools

The plan to recall substandard components of LPG cooking equipment from households and withdraw them from the market is a good sign the government is working to put the spate of fatal gas explosions behind us. But what the public needs are quick, tough and effective policies to guarantee that such hazardous practices by greedy individuals will never be seen again.

The immediate question that emerges concerning this move is how ready are the government and its business partners to produce LPG components that meet Indonesian National Standards (SNI) to replace the substandard products that may be now be in use in millions of households across the country.

The second question is what to do if low-income families reject or are unable to purchase the replacement components offered.

The government began distributing 3-kilogram liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canisters, stoves and components to low-income households in 2007 in an effort to scrap the use of heavily subsidized kerosene as Indonesia's primary cooking fuel. The government reportedly invested around Rp 20 trillion (US$2.1 billion) on this program in the hope it would reduce cooking fuel subsidies by up to Rp 30 trillion a year.

While the public seems to have taken to cooking using LPG stoves, they remain skeptical of the safety of the equipment. Explosions involving faulty LPG stoves, components and canisters have been seen almost every day in the media in recent months, which has also led the public to question the safety of cooking equipment supplied by the government.

We urge the relevant agencies to immediately discuss the details of the recall of components so it can be implemented as quickly as possible. We do not want any more people to become victims of such unnecessary incidents. If possible, the government needs to prepare funds to distribute these products to households free of charge, particularly to low-income families, because there is no legal basis for it to force people to buy replacements.

The government also needs to stop the production of substandard gas components that use false SNI labels, and prosecute their producers.

A thorough investigation is also needed on the distribution of substandard canisters both by Pertamina and illegally by private companies. And the government also needs to withdraw substandard products from the market as quickly as possible.

The kerosene to LPG cooking fuel program was a smart move that is surely past the point of no return, because it not only has reduced the cooking fuel subsidy, it is better for the environment. Therefore, the government needs to be serious in dealing with the gas equipment safety issue that has now become a national concern.