Govt fails to uphold right to healthy environment: Walhi<\/p>\n
Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has urged the
\ngovernment to address environmental problems from a human rights
\npoint of view.<\/p>\n
Observing International Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec.
\n10, Walhi executive director Chalid Muhammad said on Friday the
\ngovernment had failed to protect people's right to a healthy
\nenvironment, which was among the basic human rights.<\/p>\n
The government, he said, had failed to punish those who
\ndamaged the environment, which he deemed a violation of Article
\n28 of the Constitution. The article says that all people have the
\nright to a healthy environment.<\/p>\n
\"The state, the government, has failed to respect, fulfill and
\nprotect a basic right of the Indonesian people -- the right to
\nenjoy a good environment,\" Chalid said at his office.<\/p>\n
He said the government and law enforcers lacked a human
\nrights perspective in adjudicating environmental destruction
\ncases as they treated them as common criminal acts.<\/p>\n
\"Not a single verdict delivered on an environment-related case
\ntook into account human rights aspects,\" he said, taking as an
\nexample the pollution of Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi involving
\nmining giant PT Newmont Minahasa Raya.<\/p>\n
In the Buyat case, Chalid said, the government had agreed to
\nan out-of-court settlement.<\/p>\n
\"In a human rights violation case, there's no such thing as a
\ncompromise,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Recently the government decided not to appeal the South
\nJakarta District Court's verdict that overturned its lawsuit
\nagainst Newmont, settling the case out of court.<\/p>\n
Since legal actions against the government's accountability in
\nprotecting the right to the environment have always failed in
\ncourt, Walhi and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\nwould raise the issue in the next United Nations High Commission
\non Human Rights (UNCHR) session in March 2006.<\/p>\n
\"We will deliver the issue in the rights of development and
\nthe rights of economy, social and culture sessions,\" Walhi deputy
\ndirector Ridha Saleh told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Member of the National Commission on Human Rights Saafroeddin
\nBahar supported the move, but was skeptical of its success.<\/p>\n
\"To follow up the report, UNCHR might send a delegation or
\nwrite to the President, but you must remember that an
\ninternational consensus has its limitations,\" Saafroeddin said,
\nsuggesting that NGOs cooperate with the government in advancing
\nthe right to the environment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-fails-to-uphold-right-to-healthy-environment-walhi-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}