RI should develop new environmental partnership with NGOs<\/p>\n
By Arian Ardie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As Indonesia intensifies its efforts to develop
\nand protect its environment it is presented with a unique
\nopportunity to develop a new environmental partnership between
\ngovernment, industry and non-government-organizations (NGOs). It
\nis only through such partnership that the country will be able to
\nrealize its goal of protecting the environment while achieving
\nsustainable development.<\/p>\n
Indonesia can learn from both the successes and mistakes that
\nhave been made by the developed countries in their efforts to
\nprotect their environment. By doing so, Indonesia has the chance
\nto leap frog steps that the developed world had to labor through.<\/p>\n
In most of the developed world a command and control approach
\nhas been taken toward environmental regulation and development.
\nUnder this approach the government not only places sharp
\nrestrictions on what may be disposed of but also is very specific
\nabout the methods by which they must be disposed. For the command
\nand control system to work effectively there must be strong
\nenforcement mechanisms, technological as well as civil.<\/p>\n
It requires a well developed environmental industry, well
\ntrained environmental auditors and a strong judicial system with
\na well defined commercial code.<\/p>\n
At this point in time Indonesia is deficient in these areas.
\nThe command and control approach, however, has other drawbacks as
\nwell. It can stifle the introduction of new, often less expensive
\ntechnologies by leaning on existing methodologies. Setting
\nminimum compliance standards for industry, as command and control
\ndoes often encourages companies to do the minimum, rather than to
\nadopt technology that will allow them to surpass or anticipate
\nstandards. Worst of all, however, it sets up government, industry
\nand NGOs as adversaries rather than partners in environmental
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Because Indonesia is still in the early stages of developing a
\ncomprehensive national environmental program, the opportunity to
\ncreate a cooperative rather than adversarial relationship exists.
\nThe country has all the necessary ingredients to cook up this new
\npartnership, what remains to be seen is whether or not the
\nstakeholders in the environment will be willing to work together.<\/p>\n
The three main elements necessary for environmental
\ndevelopment already exist in Indonesia. The government has
\ntargeted environmental protection as a major objective. Bapedal,
\nthe agency of environmental assessment and protection, has been
\ncreated and is up and running. The NGOs are also well developed
\nand vocal due in part to a relatively liberal attitude by the
\ngovernment towards environmental NGOs. Indonesia's industry is
\nrapidly developing a good level of diversification. A small but
\nfast growing environmental industry also exists. The question
\nbecomes how these groups need to interact to protect the
\nenvironment while still achieving sustainable development.<\/p>\n
There are some existing paradigms outside of the environmental
\narea that provide a basis for the new partnership. Article 21 of
\nthe constitution dictates that the natural resources of Indonesia
\nshould be exploited for the greater good of the people.
\nPresumably, this includes the environment. Pancasila provides the
\nconcept of gotong royong, a program of mutual self-help resulting
\nin greater general welfare. The concept of musyawarah-mufakat
\nprovides a forum and formula for consensus decision making.
\nFinally Indonesia as the chair of NAM is the standard bearer for
\ndeveloping an alternative to the programs of the developed
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
If gotong royong and musyawarah-mufakat are to be effectively
\nemployed in the development of the environment each of the
\nparticipants has duties and obligations that must be met. As the
\nultimate representative of the people, government must also act
\nas the leader in developing consensus. It is also the
\nresponsibility of the government to make sure that the rewards
\nof adopting an environmental policy are equitably distributed.<\/p>\n
This means that policy and regulations must further the
\ndevelopment goals of fostering small and medium scale enterprise,
\npromoting domestic content and developing all regions in
\nIndonesia. Bapedal, as the main enforcement and development
\nagency, must strive to become an agency for environmental
\ndevelopment rather than an agency of environmental enforcement.<\/p>\n
Industry has the most to gain by creating this new
\npartnership. Therefore it also shoulders the greatest
\nresponsibility for its success. Industry must be willing to adopt
\nclean methods of production, minimize its waste, dispose of
\nhazardous materials properly and practice self-monitoring and
\nassessment. It must also take these steps proactively, it cannot
\nwait for government to dictate what must be done.<\/p>\n
The advantages for industry are clear. Practicing these
\nmeasures will result in increased international competitiveness,
\nsafeguard the resources it relies on, improve community and
\nworker relations and in many cases result in greater production
\nefficiency. Although there will be initial investment costs
\nassociated with adopting environmental technology, these are
\nminimal when compared with the huge medium and long term costs of
\nnot making the investment. Those costs and liabilities could
\ninclude higher cost of production inputs, clean up costs of
\npolluted rivers and soils, civil liability for damage to the
\nenvironment and the high cost of retrofitting production systems
\nif the government starts to mandate solutions.<\/p>\n
The environmental industry, those companies that provide
\nenvironmental products and services, must not only abide by the
\nsame practices as general industry, but must also find cost
\neffective environmental solutions at all levels of industry that
\nare consistent with Indonesia's current stage of development.
\nThey must provide the best applicable technology. They must
\npromote local content and transfer of technology, they must
\nactively provide solutions that will enable companies to cost
\neffectively achieve sustainable development.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia's environmental companies can accomplish these
\ngoals they will also spawn an environmental industry that creates
\nnew jobs, technologies and opportunities.<\/p>\n
NGOs have a special role in the new environmental partnership.
\nThey are the eyes and ears of the environmental movement. They
\nare also its heart and soul and it is their job to act as the
\nmoral conscience of the environmental movement and industry. They
\nmust ensure that government and industry fulfill their
\nresponsibilities. They must act as the voice of the consumer,
\nrelating the concerns of the people about their environment. They
\nmust also increase the awareness of the people as to how to
\nsafeguard their environment. They must base their program on
\nproven scientific evidence not rhetoric or dogma. They must also
\nbe vigilant against succumbing to political pressure from groups
\nor parties that wish to exploit the environmental movement for
\nother purposes. In this process they must find ways to actively
\ndevelop the support of industry and government.<\/p>\n
The best way to see how this partnership can work is to look
\nat an example. Recently, Presidential decree No. 19\/1994 was
\nsigned stating that all hazardous B3 waste must be treated at an
\napproved facility or properly treated at sight. This decree is a
\ngood example of how government, industry and NGOs can make the
\nprocess work. Although there is currently only one approved waste
\ntreatment facility, others will soon follow. There have been some
\nwho have suggested that this creates a monopoly situation for the
\ncompany. In fact it probably does the opposite. The effect of the
\ndecree is to quantify the costs of waste disposal. It provides
\nthe basis for sound cost comparisons. If the costs are deemed
\nhigh by industry, that should provide incentives to search for
\nalternative methods of production, using clean technology or
\nprocess chemicals. The government has acted responsibility in
\nthis case mandating that the waste must be properly treated, but
\nnot dictating the method by which it must be treated.<\/p>\n
Government and industry have formed a partnership for the
\nfirst treatment site with Bapedal holding a stake in the private
\ncompany. The rest of the environmental industry must now start
\npromoting alternative methods of production that are
\nenvironmentally friendly. They must provide technology that also
\nenable small and medium size businesses to comply with the
\ndecree. NGOs, for their part must not only support these efforts
\nthey must also assist in the education process, promoting
\nalternative methods of production.<\/p>\n
Working together for the reduction and proper treatment of
\nhazardous waste will have many benefits. The most obvious benefit
\nis a cleaner environment. This results in several multiplier
\neffects. A cleaner environment will help to safeguard the tourist
\nand fisheries industries. It will enable Indonesian products to
\nbe more competitive on the international market, especially in
\nthose countries that have echo-labeling or minimum environmental
\nstandards, resulting in more jobs, new technologies and greater
\ntax revenue for the government.<\/p>\n
Developing a new environmental partnership in Indonesia will
\nrequire close cooperation among industry, government and NGOs. It
\nwill require rethinking how these groups relate to each other. It
\nwill require creative thinking and flexibility. Although some new
\ninvestment will be necessary, the advantages for the economy will
\njustify that investment many times over. Indonesia must take
\nadvantage of this unique opportunity to develop a new
\nenvironmental partnership. By doing so it will take a giant step
\ntowards achieving the goal of sustainable development.<\/p>\n
Arian Ardie is vice chairman of HIDUP Indonesia which groups
\ncompanies dedicated to the promotion of environmental technology
\nand is also vice president of PT Indokor Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Window: Indonesia must take advantage of the opportunity to develop a
\nnew environmental partnership to enable the country to take a
\ngiant step towards achieving the sustainable development.<\/p>",
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