After Gas Explosions, Focus on Govt Response

Lawmakers have been vocal in calling for the government to provide free hoses and regulators to replace faulty ones linked to a series of gas canister explosions, as well as to educate users on operating the equipment safely.

Bambang Wuryanto, secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) at the House of Representatives, said it would be unfair for the government to charge people for the replacement parts when the problem was in a government-initiated project.

He said that if at the beginning of the program, aimed at phasing out subsidised kerosene in favor of cheaper liquefied petroleum gas, the government had embarked on a comprehensive campaign to educate people on how to use the new gas canisters and stoves, there would not have been as many explosions and casualties.
“We urge the government to resolve all issues related to use of the gas stoves without charging citizens a cent,” Bambang said.
House Deputy Speaker Taufik Kurniawan, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), agreed that because the government had initiated the introduction of LPG, it should be responsible for ensuring the safety of the program.

“The government is obliged to prevent more accidents by replacing the defective components, no matter the cost,” Taufik said.
State-owned energy company PT Pertamina has already begun distributing certified hoses and regulators to replace faulty ones. The hoses will retail for Rp 15,000 ($1.65) each, and the regulators for Rp 20,000.

Lukman Edy, secretary general of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said the government should rethink its decision to only replace the hoses and regulators, saying he had received numerous complaints about the canisters themselves.

“Every life is sacred, so steps must be taken to ensure we don’t lose more,” he said.

Bobby Adhityo Rizaldi, from the Golkar Party, said issuing replacement parts did not address the problem of users lacking knowledge on how to operate the stoves and canisters safely.

“I believe the government first needs to conduct an education campaign,” he said.

Most of the gas canister explosions this year have involved the 3-kilogram canisters the government has been distributing since 2006 under the kerosene-to-LPG conversion program.

Several of the bigger explosions originated at illegal depots where operators transferred gas from the subsidized 3-kg canisters into 12-kg canisters, which retail for more per volume.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri ordered his officers to cooperate more closely with Pertamina and the Energy Ministry’s Directorate General of Oil and Gas in investigating the explosions.

The National Police’s special crimes director, Brig. Gen. Suhardi Alius, told reporters: “Even though we already have good cooperation, we want to accelerate that and to work more closely following the president’s instruction to thoroughly investigate the gas cylinder explosions.”

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Farouk Arnaz
Jakarta Globe