Regarding Free Rice Cookers Distribution, Observer: Will Repeat The Failure Of Induction Cookers

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara/Shutterstock)

JAKARTA - The government's plan to distribute 680,000 rice cookers for free to the public in 2023 has received criticism from several observers.

One of them is the Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios) Bhima Yudhistira. Bhima sees this program as ineffective because the government will only repeat the failure of the electric induction cooker plan.

"The problem is not downstream users because it will repeat the failure of the electric induction cooker plan," he told VOI, Monday, November 28.

Bhima added, with this policy discourse the government seems to want to solve the problem of electricity oversupply through an inappropriate and significant way.

"The energy transition can be achieved if the source of electricity can be separated from dependence on coal. As long as coal dominates in power plants, efforts to reduce emissions at the consumer's end will not be effective," continued Bhima.

According to him, PT PLN (Persero) should focus on building massive new renewable energy (EBT) generators as well as fixing power purchase contracts and completely stopping all construction of coal-fired power plants, including in industrial areas.

Meanwhile, Energy Watch Executive Director Mamit Setiawan assessed that the distribution of rice cookers was an attempt by the government to modernize the community, especially the lower class, regarding their cooking equipment.

"By doing so, it will also be easier for people to cook rice, no longer manual," said Mamit.

Meanwhile, regarding the use of electricity, continued Mamit, according to him, the amount would not increase too much considering that the use of electricity for rice cookers is not too large.

According to Mamit, I can keep this plan running while the government is making other efforts to increase electricity consumption which is currently the government's focus.

"The government must be able to create new industrial estates and new businesses to increase electricity consumption. The government must also provide many conveniences for investors so they can invest and increase electricity consumption," continued Mamit.

Previously, Edy Pratiknyo, the Sub-coordinator for Facilitation of Commercial Relations for Electricity Business, Directorate of Electricity Business Development, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Edy Pratiknyo, said that the government was discussing a plan to distribute 680,000 electric rice cookers to people who subscribe to 450 VA electricity.

According to Edy, later this rice cooker assistance will be distributed throughout Indonesia through the 2023 State Budget of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in terms of distributing this assistance will utilize data belonging to the Ministry of Social Affairs with a program package value of IDR 500,000 per beneficiary family (KPM).