THE alarm on the electricity crisis rang out on Friday, May 23. Four days later the industrial areas in East Java were hit by alternating power outages, while the electricity supply to houses continued as normal. But in Bali, blackouts were more evenly spread. Many hotel owners protested, but there was nothing they could do to stop the lights going out.

The time has come for this energy crisis, which began in 1999, to be tackled. Electricit