Infrastructure development can be dilemmatic at times. The construction of a power network in southern Java, for example, has been met with resistance by residents in West Java and Yogyakarta. Already months behind schedule – it was scheduled to be completed last October – the network is meant to complement the overloaded northern Java power network.

Constructing power installations is admittedly a complex issue, especially on the crowded island of Java. Tension between residents and PLN, the state power firm, has been simmering for 10 years. Like faulty wiring, the tension will unexpectedly surge before falling off again.

Protests against the network first began in 1996, two years before the collapse of the repressive New Order regime of Soeharto. Now residents in the two provinces are making their voices heard again, raising old issues like land compensation and health concerns over the presence of high-voltage towers.

In the past, when the New Order was still in power, it was easy to label the protesters antigovernment, antidevelopment or, even worse, communists, and then simply disregard them. Not anymore. These labels have lost their currency.

The involvement of the Indonesian Ulema Council in this latest flare-up of the dispute is disturbing, because it is a sign that while the labels of the New Order regime may have lost their power, the regime's patron-client mentality has not.

In the past, the council was largely seen as a tool of Soeharto, and now it has come to the defense of PLN. The council declared a hunger strike by a group of Muslim villagers opposed to the presence of a high-voltage tower near their homes was not allowed under Islam, which the ulema said did not allow followers to harm themselves.

But the villagers were responding to a perceived threat – imagined or otherwise. Why did the council not take the time to explore the reasons behind the villagers' anger? Why are residents from so many different villages and towns involved in protests against PLN, including residents of Bogor, Cianjur, Cirebon, Depok and Rancaekek in West Java, and Bumirejo, Tuksono, Srikayangan, Kulon Progo in Yogyakarta?

Residents of Nanjungmekar village in Rancaekek district in southern Bandung believe power lines have been built too close to their homes, endangering their health. In response, they burned used tires and attempted to tear down a high-voltage tower. We cannot condone such actions, but we can understand them.

Residents of Ciseeng in Bogor believe the compensation they received for their land used by PLN to build towers was unfair, and have asked for more money. Their complaints fell on deaf ears, so the residents felt they had no other option but go on hunger strike to draw attention to their cause. The strikers later went to different state offices, including the Presidential Palace and the House of Representatives, in an attempt to be heard by officials.

Protests are common in a democracy, and the construction of high-voltage towers in other countries has certainly roused citizens to action. What is important is the government's response. Rather than courting the ulema council, PLN should have worked to educate residents about high-voltage towers. For most people, these imposing towers, with giant cables running through them, look threatening, although studies have found that people can safely live 18 meters from high-voltage lines. The power firm should let residents know why the 500-kilovolt lines have to be built, and how to avoid any possible health hazards posed by the lines.

Continuing protests against the towers is a sign of the communication gap between residents and PLN. The company needs to close this gap. Land compensation has always been a tricky issue here. There is always the suspicion that officials are not being fair, or are giving a better deal to residents in the village just down the road. The process requires the utmost transparency, as well as integrity of the highest order on the part of officials.

If the villagers knew the northern Java power network, built in 1984, experienced a 7 percent load increase each year, making a new network vital to relieve the strain, they would probably be willing to make sacrifices, as long as they were properly compensated. Residents are undoubtedly capable of understanding the necessity of the southern network, and like other well-intentioned citizens would be happy to play a role in improving the nation.