... who will do the certification test... "Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan has pleaded guilty in connection with the crash of an electric car prototype called "Tuxuci" during a test drive in Magetan, East Java, on January 5, and is ready to pay the fine imposed on him.
During an interview after a case hearing at East Java's Police Regional Traffic Management Centre (RTMC) here on Thursday, Dahlan admitted that he was guilty of violating traffic regulation by using an unregistered license plate, named "DI 19", although it was not a criminal act.
The minister was asked 33 questions at the hearing, including those on the accident, the electric car, the license plate number, the vehicle's speed, the collision and the crash.
"I should not respond to that question, but I am prepared for the consequences of my action, whether it be humiliation or even imprisonment," he said.
Dahlan stated that he was driving at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour and was fully conscious at the time of the accident.
"Obviously, I've test-driven the Tuxuci for 1,000 kilometres and was amazed by it. I was checking its acceleration while driving uphill as well as downhill, and I discovered its weaknesses. If I conducted the test drive in Sentul Circuit, Jakarta, I would certainly not be able to figure out the weaknesses," he explained.
When asked about the violation of Article 310 of Law 22/2009 on the vehicle roadworthiness certification, Dahlan said Tuxuci was an electric car developed by the government and no agency had yet been set up to certify the car as safe.
"Who will do the certification test?" he asked.
Therefore, the government will soon issue a regulation on vehicle registration and other legal documents for the electric car.
"The national electric car program must be continued, because electric cars are the future. Developed countries are also focusing on such vehicles," Iskan pointed out.
(KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Ade P Marboen
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