Govt lacks full data on forest concessions<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government admitted yesterday it still lacks
\nreliable data on the ownership and operations of the country's
\ntimber companies, which are often blamed for causing forest fires
\nand damaging the environment.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution,
\nappointed minister only last month, said that even he and the
\nministry's senior officials are unclear about the ownership of
\nthe forest concessions because data left by his predecessor only
\nshowed the names of the operating timber companies.<\/p>\n
\"The current data only shows the names of the companies but
\nnot their owners' names. The data should be reviewed by adding
\nthe names of the people behind those companies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"It will, therefore, take more time to detect whether they are
\ninvolved in KKN (corruption, collusion and nepotism) practices,\"
\nhe said when asked about his recent promise to review timber
\ncompanies' contracts, particularly those involved in illegitimate
\npractices such as obtaining logging contracts due to their close
\nrelations with former president Soeharto and his cronies.<\/p>\n
Muslimin said the ministry was compiling data on names and
\noperations of all forest concession holders in the country.<\/p>\n
\"God willing, the names of all forests concessionaires will be
\ncollected and announced transparently to the public in two
\nweeks,\" he promised.<\/p>\n
Timber and plantation companies are often criticized for their
\nlack of attention to protecting the environment and also often
\nblamed for causing forest fires.<\/p>\n
Muslimin said strict punishments would be imposed on timber
\ncompanies found to have violated the sustainable forest
\nmanagement regulations or caused forest fires.<\/p>\n
\"The management of those disobedient concessions can be handed
\nover to state timber companies and cooperatives or offered to the
\npublic through an open bidding system,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In the future his ministry will employ an open bidding system
\nin issuing concession contracts to ensure that only those with a
\nstrong commitment to protecting the forest, environment and local
\npeople win the contracts.<\/p>\n
Former environment minister Emil Salim suggested yesterday
\nthat concession rights be given only to companies which could
\noffer the most benefits to local people and the state, such as
\nthrough contributions of resource rent tax to be used for the
\nreforestation purposes.<\/p>\n
Their offers should be made through \"transparent and open
\npublic bidding\", Emil told participants at a discussion on forest
\nconcessions held by Atma Jaya University here.<\/p>\n
Emil said bidding to select companies entitled to get the
\nconcession rights was a way to return to the power of market
\nmechanisms lost to the power of the government.<\/p>\n
However, he said the resource rent tax and the reforestation
\nfund should be used for replanting only and that the fund must be
\nembodied into the state budget to ensure the accountability of
\nits use.<\/p>\n
Another needed measure was to seriously implement a nationwide
\nspatial master plan to ensure proper use of land and forests,
\nEmil said.<\/p>\n
\"The question to ask in this case for instance is: what will
\nbe the face of East Kalimantan in 2020? How much land is being
\nallocated for industry, plantations, agriculture, even for
\nprotecting species, etcetera? So the competing uses of the forest
\nmust be settled first through master planning.<\/p>\n
\"We can't dedicate all our forest for concessions,\" Emil said.<\/p>\n
The government first began to award forest concessions to
\nprivate companies through the 1971 Forestry Law, which granted
\nconcessionaires the sole right to exploit and cultivate forests
\nin their concession area.<\/p>\n
There are currently 437 forest concessions in the country.<\/p>\n
Private concessions -- which cover more than 61 million
\nhectares of forest -- are mostly in the hands of 50 leading
\ngroups, including Kalimanis Group owned by Mohammad \"Bob\" Hasan,
\nBarito Pacific Timber owned by Prajogo Pangestu, Sujono
\nVarinata's Djajanti Group, PT Alas Kesuma owned by Handjaja and
\nNana Suparna and Mercu Buana Group owned by Probosutedjo,
\nSoeharto's half-brother.<\/p>\n
Informed sources say most of the forest concessions owned by
\nthe 50 leading groups are partly owned by Soeharto's family and
\ntheir cronies such as Bob Hasan and Prajogo Pangestu. (gis\/aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-lacks-full-data-on-forest-concessions-1447893297",
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