Nuclear Revival in Post-Suharto Indonesia

Sulfikar Amir
2010 Asian Survey  
A B S T R AC T Indonesia is planning to build a nuclear power plant to meet soaring demand for energy. Opposing this policy, an anti-nuclear alliance is emerging from grassroots groups driven by distrust of the government's ability to handle high-risk technology. This article explores the contemporary politics of Indonesia's nuclear power program. K E Y WO R D S : nuclear power, post-Suharto Indonesia, anti-nuclear movement, energy crisis, democracy On June 12, 2007, about 5,000 people gathered
more » ... in downtown Kudus in the district of Jepara, Central Java. Kudus means silent, but on that extraordinary day it was completely the opposite. A crowd of local residents, activists, artists, and students was fervently shouting, creating an uproar that shook the peaceful town. They all had come to express their firm rejection of Jakarta's plan to build four nuclear reactors in the Muria Peninsula on the north coast of Central Java. Some demonstrators raised banners showing their condemnation of what they saw as the government's malicious ambition. An art performance by noted religious poet Emha Ainun Najib animated the event. Joining the protesters, interestingly, were public officials, district Parliament members, military territorial commandants, and police chiefs. The district head of Kudus even delivered a speech with a clear message that "[n]uclear power reactors should not be built in Muria because the people do not want it." 1
doi:10.1525/as.2010.50.2.265 fatcat:zipgtikkd5fepdfstepq3imeuy