Govt urged to review regulation on power body
Tuesday, January 27 2004 - 09:55 AM WIB
?We urge the government to immediately review the regulation while making correction on it based on our study findings,? said Working Group on Power Sector Restructuring (WGPSR) in a press release obtained by Petromindo.Com.
WGPSR argued that the government regulation issued in last November, PP No. 55/2003, did not clearly mention the tasks and responsibility of the electricity market regulating body, or BAPEPTAL.
?The ruling for instance does not make clear how the body will fulfill its task of guaranteeing power supply. Logically speaking, guaranteeing electricity supply means that BAPEPTAL has the responsibility of providing adequate electricity," WGPSR said through its coordinator Fabby Tumiwa.
The regulation also does not mention the institution authorized to form a special committee to select BAPEPTAL members, the organization said.
The government is in the process of forming BAPEPTAL in order to support the implementation of the current electricity law, Law No. 20 Year 2002.
Meanwhile, WGPSR also said in the press release that BAPEPTAL be set up only after the Constitutional Court has decided whether the electricity law be reviewed as demanded by a group of consumers.
The court held its first session over the consumers? demand last November in which their lawyer said that the electricity law contradicted Article 33 of the Constitution which stipulates that all forms of production that benefit the public must be controlled by the state, including electricity. The electricity law encourages private sector companies to invest in the country?s power sector, the lawyer told the court. (godang)