Will CGI spoil picnic in vanishing forests?<\/p>\n
David Curry, Director, Environmental Investigation Agency, London.
\nA. Ruwindrijarto, Director, Telapak Indonesia, Bogor, West Java<\/p>\n
Corruption is firmly on the agenda of the Consultative Group
\non Indonesia (CGI) meeting on Nov. 7-8, and the forestry sector
\nis well placed to offer opportunities for the Indonesian
\ngovernment to act.<\/p>\n
It came as a surprise to some observers that forests, and the
\ndependent life they sustain, should be discussed at these
\nfinancially based meetings. When discussing huge loans and grants
\nto bolster the struggling Indonesian economy, why should so much
\nfuss be made about saving forests, indigenous peoples' rights,
\nand wildlife? Why did the donors insist on seeing progress in the
\nforestry sector and why did the government agree to 12 action
\npoints at the February 2000 CGI meeting?<\/p>\n
The destruction of Indonesia's forests at a rate approaching 2
\nmillion hectares each year, is an economic, social and legal
\ndisaster that effects the country's future. The timber mafia,
\nwhich includes members of the political, police and military
\nelite, are plundering one of Indonesia's greatest resources,
\ndestroying the lives of forest dependent people, pushing wildlife
\nsuch as the orangutan towards extinction, and returning nothing
\nto the country.<\/p>\n
The low-end estimate of financial loss in revenue from illegal
\nlogging is US$ 600 million (the late former attorney general
\nBaharuddin Lopa put it at up to $4 billion), which according to
\nthe country director of the World Bank is equivalent to four
\ntimes the combined spending of central and local government in
\nthe forestry sector; and more than twice the amount spent by the
\ngovernment on subsidized food programs for the poor this year.<\/p>\n
At least as important to the donors is the reaction of the
\ngovernment to this plunder. Handling this disaster is a litmus
\ntest of whether the government is capable of good governance and
\nreform. As a focus of this test, Tanjung Puting National Park in
\nCentral Kalimantan has been highlighted by Telapak Indonesia and
\nthe Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) because of its
\ninternational ecological importance and because information about
\nits commercial plunder is widely available from reports, videos,
\nTV news items and political debate.<\/p>\n
Last January the Cabinet was called together to meet the
\nCentral Kalimantan Governor to discuss this Park. But, as with
\njust about everything else, nothing happened.<\/p>\n
Tanjung Puting remains a test case for this government and one
\nof the 12 action points promised to the CGI nearly two years ago
\nwas to halt illegal logging, especially in national parks. In
\nTanjung Puting the timber baron is known, the exact location of
\nthe illegal logging infrastructure is mapped, the smaller timber
\nbosses have been identified, and the illegal sawmills are known.<\/p>\n
If the government cannot stop the logging in Tanjung Puting
\nNational Park, as has been the case so far, then what can they
\npossibly do in the larger and more complicated issues such as
\ndownsizing an industry bloated from illegally sourced timber?<\/p>\n
It is possible to view all the government's promises with
\nconsiderable skepticism.<\/p>\n
At the October 2000 CGI meeting when progress should have been
\nmade, a quick reshuffle temporarily put Bungaran Saragih in the
\nforestry minister hot-seat pleading that he was new, what could
\nhe do? The donors gave him the benefit of the doubt and the money
\nkept flowing. Although respected, he was removed in November and
\nNur Mahmudi Ismail returned to his still warm, but largely
\ninactive seat.<\/p>\n
In April 2001 another new forestry minister was facing the
\ndonors, and Marzuki Usman delivered a high profile ban on ramin
\ncutting and trading and sought international support by
\nunilaterally placing ramin on an appendix of the Convention on
\nInternational Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).<\/p>\n
This followed considerable evidence of widespread illegal
\nplunder of this rare swamp forest tree species, especially in
\nTanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan. Dulled into
\nlow expectations, the donors were mildly surprised, and the
\nminister was new after all, and the money flowed.<\/p>\n
Now it's the next new minister's turn. Dr Ir Muhammad Prakosa
\nhas already focused his government's 12 action points to five and
\nhas so far proven approachable and has recently approved a log
\nexport moratorium pleasing some non government organizations and
\nindustry although the World Bank is more skeptical.<\/p>\n
If 80 percent of log exports are already illegal, they ask,
\nhow does penalizing a few honest operators really help the
\nforest?<\/p>\n
Perhaps most disturbing for Minister Prakosa is that even the
\nsmall progress made by his predecessor with the ramin CITES
\nlisting has been watered down.<\/p>\n
His ministry has already extended the deadline for the ban and
\nis now considering exempting ramin \"products\" from the listing,
\nmaking support from importing countries virtually pointless since
\nmost import are products.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the latest pictures from Tanjung Puting prove that
\nramin is still cut in the Park and despite details of the illegal
\nlogging infrastructure being given to his ministry, little has
\nbeen done.<\/p>\n
When some small actions are carried out, such as the seizure
\nof four ships and two steel barges near the Park in the last few
\nweeks, the goodwill of some forest ministry staff is overturned
\nby money politics.<\/p>\n
One of these ships and one barge have already been released
\nunder orders from the local regent whose regency is under the
\ninfluence of local timber baron and member of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly Abdul Rasyid. Rasyid's company owns the
\nbarge and has stood publicly accused of plundering the Park for
\nover two years.<\/p>\n
If the CGI is serious about corruption, the government must
\nsecure Tanjung Puting, stand by the CITES ramin listing and bring
\nAbdul Rasyid to justice.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's forests are being plundered openly and without any
\nreal hindrance from a government that complains of having its
\nhands tied. But President Megawati Soekarnoputri is popular and
\nhas a relatively respected team around her.<\/p>\n
Last week she stated \"To atone for our past mistakes, we will
\nhave to show our responsibility to the future generation by
\ngreatly improving forest management.\"<\/p>\n
It is unbelievable that the President's Office, in supporting
\nMinister Prakosa, could not stop illegal logging in a national
\npark and prosecute a timber baron. In a stroke, the President
\nwould have sent the message that corruption will not be
\ntolerated, supported her forestry minister and provided a swift
\nrebuke to money politics, the scourge of Central Kalimantan and
\nmany other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Without even a small success, it's difficult to see how the
\nCGI can carry on its deliberations on forestry with much
\nintegrity if the money just keeps on flowing.<\/p>",
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