en.malanginspirasi.com – Netizens were giving endless reactions upon the comments from Coordinating Minister for Downstream Industry and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia who once mentioned that the cause of blackout in Batam Island was also caused by bats.
A massive power outage struck Batam Island, near Singapore, on the morning of October 12, 2026, around 6:30–6:37 a.m. local time.
The blackout left hundreds of thousands of residents—more than 411,000 customers—without electricity, water, and telecommunications for nearly 16 hours.
The disruption also affected nearby areas including Bintan and Tanjungpinang.
Bahlil Lahadalia explained the causes based on reports from state utility PT PLN.
“There were several technical problems in the Batam area, and some networks had trouble because of lightning. According to them (PLN), there were three technical errors. One of them involved an animal or something hit by bats,” Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, October 14.
PLN apologized for the inconvenience, gradually restored power before reaching full recovery in Batam the following day.
Then, PLN replaced its CEO, with Suroso Isnandar taking over from Darmawan Prasodjo.
The incident has prompted calls for improved maintenance amid rising electricity demand in this key industrial and data-center hub.
However, Bahlil’s mention of bats quickly went viral and became the focus of widespread memes and sarcastic reactions on social media.
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Many netizens viewed the explanation as shifting blame onto animals rather than addressing underlying maintenance or infrastructure issues.
Here are some of the unique and widely shared netizen comments:
‘Blackout in Batam because of bats.’ Is fuel shortage in Bali because of Leyak spirits?’”
“Bahlil says the Batam blackout was caused by lightning and bats. Meanwhile PLN Batam said it was wild monkeys. Even bats and monkeys get the blame from the dual-role minister and PLN. Is there any statement more ridiculous than this???”
-“Those Batam bats are impressive—they can shut down the entire island’s electricity. I don’t think bats elsewhere have that kind of power.”
“In this country it’s hard to make big people the suspects, so with a heavy heart wind, weather, lightning, rats, and even bats are forced to take the blame… Only here can a species of bat chew through cables and black out the whole of Batam Island…”
“How many bats does it take to hit the electricity and black out all of Batam?”
Behind the jokes, many Batam residents and online users expressed real frustration over the reliability of the power grid in a strategically important area so close to Singapore.
They are calling for serious evaluation and upgrades rather than explanations that single out wildlife or the weather.
