Minister's swipe at Djajanti<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo's public
\nallegations late last month that the Djajanti Group's plywood
\nsubsidiary, PT Nusantara Plywood, in East Java purchased 4,000
\ncubic meters of illegally-cut logs, is not the first swing he has
\ntaken at large forest-based business groups.<\/p>\n
More than one year ago, on Sept.7, 1994, Djamaludin, in an
\noverzealous drive to maintain the principle of sustainable forest
\nmanagement, took a surprising shot at the publicly-listed PT
\nBarito Pacific.<\/p>\n
However, his strong remarks, including the threat that his
\nministry could take over 49 percent of Barito, one of the largest
\ncompanies listed on the Jakarta stock exchange, turned out to be
\nin error. He corrected his statement two days later, but the
\ndamage had been done and the stock market was confused for some
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the question arises at to why Djamaludin has
\napparently not learned a lesson from the error he made last year
\nand become more careful regarding statements to the public. Why
\nwas the minister in such a hurry to disclose to the mass media
\nthat he would revoke Djajanti's concessions and that a decree to
\nthat effect was being prepared? Couldn't he have waited until
\nthorough investigations had been completed and the results found
\nconclusive?<\/p>\n
Djamaludin's sweeping allegations against Djajanti on Sept. 26
\nraised eyebrows because three days previously he had made similar
\nstatements, on the basis of inconclusive investigations, at a
\nhastily-convened news conference. It is difficult to understand
\nthe purpose of these public accusations. In fact, it seems that
\nsuch disclosures to the mass media could be counter-productive in
\nrelation to his efforts to maintain a high level of discipline
\namong concessionaires regarding sustainable management of
\nforests.<\/p>\n
The fact is that the power of the government and the
\nbureaucratic scheme of things in this country are such that
\nremarks by high ranking officials, let alone a cabinet member
\nlike Djamaludin, always carry a great deal of weight and are not
\nonly assumed to be correct by the public, but also are sometimes
\nconstrued as official pronouncements. Understandably, no
\nbusinessman nor company would ever dare to refute a minister's
\nstatement however erroneous it might be.<\/p>\n
We have often commended Djamaludin for his strong
\ndetermination and courage in dealing indiscriminately and firmly
\nwith errant forest concessionaires, including those with strong
\npolitical connections which many consider \"untouchable\". In fact,
\nto our knowledge, Djamaludin is one of the most respected members
\nof the cabinet due to his good reputation and high level of
\nintegrity.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, prematurely disclosing to the public inconclusive
\nresults of investigations into alleged violations by forest-based
\ncompanies not only is unfair, it also could do damage to
\ncompanies, which could later turn out to be innocent.<\/p>\n
Such unwarranted public pronouncements do little to help his
\ndrive to instill discipline among forest concessionaires.
\nMoreover, we think, such premature, sweeping allegations might
\nerode Djamaludin's reputation and raise questions as to whether
\nulterior motives exist.<\/p>",
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