The Role of Indonesia’s Civil Society in Energy Security

Abstract

Energy (in)security has re-emerged as one of the central security issues for countries around the world. Despite its huge and diverse reserves of fossil fuel energy, Indonesia finds itself among countries suffering from an energy crisis. This paper is concerned with the lack of a comprehensive response by the Indonesian government to the domestic energy crisis. Troubled by these circumstances, non-state actors (or civil society) in Indonesia have chosen to act in response to the government's ''failure''. The role of civil society in energy security will be elaborated upon, particularly how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) engaged in the Indonesian energy sector perceive and propose initiatives that target the government, public and other relevant stakeholders. The basic argument is that NGOs in the Indonesian energy sector assume key functions by, first, mapping out problems in current energy policies and, second, educating Indonesian society on the energy crisis and encouraging new ideas on creating an alternative energy supply and using this effectively.