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Who’s to blame for blackout fiasco?
Jonan went further by saying: “Just ask PLN and the [SOE] minister, who is responsible for the [company]. We are the regulator that oversees and monitors the operator,” in response to Instagram user @lukman.saputra31, one of many replies he posted that day.
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A man sits inside his shop with a candle and emergency lamp during blackout in Jakarta, Monday. The north circuit points in Unggaran-Pemalang transmission line was disrupted on Sunday, causing major blackout in Greater Jakarta and several cities in Java on Sunday for eight straight hours, followed by rolling blackouts for more than one day. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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sense of frustration shone through as Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan answered questions on social media: Who bears the responsibility for the recent massive blackout in cities of Java?
“Just sue PLN,” Jonan wrote in the reply column of his Instagram account @ignasius.jonan, referring to the state-owned electricity provider in a response to @munirbiyzantium, who had demanded that PLN proactively notify consumers and provide clarity and information in the event of future blackouts.
Jonan went further by saying: “Just ask PLN and the [SOE] minister, who is responsible for the [company]. We are the regulator that oversees and monitors the operator,” in response to Instagram user @lukman.saputra31, one of many replies he posted that day.
Jonan’s frustration was shared by 21.3 million people affected by the power outage that hit Greater Jakarta and several cities in Java, for which observers are now pointing fingers also at the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry and SOE Minister Rini Soemarno.
Sunday’s major blackout added to piles of trouble that have hit two state-owned energy giants, Pertamina and PLN, since last year, raising questions about the effectiveness of the SOE Ministry in overseeing the firms.
Frequent changes in the top job at PLN had negatively affected the performance and internal operations of PLN, including the handling of blackouts, said energy sector expert Fahmy Radhi from Gadjah Mada University.
“The SOE minister should immediately appoint a definitive PLN boss, so that […] operational decisions can be made quickly and correctly,” he said on Sunday.
