Environment and traditional values

Environment and traditional values

From Media Indonesia

I am writing in reference to the bill on environmental
management which has experienced a setback compared to law
No.2/1982. The participation of society in the latter law
includes people's rights and responsibilities, while the new bill
only stresses the rights. Moreover, unlike the old law, the new
bill does not involve society in the planning stage.

Since Indonesian delegates signed the 1992 Rio Declaration, it
was deemed necessary to consider the existence of the traditional
community as stipulated in the declaration. The spirit of the
bill lags far behind law No. 10/1990 concerning population and
families' welfare. The law reserves the full right of the
traditional community to preserve and gain the benefit of land
heritage and develop the community's cultural aspects (physically
and socioculturally, including the way of life typical to the
community). This means that the environmental law reflects
ecological wisdom in managing the environment and biological
diversity.

With the abolishment of social responsibility, and given the
development of spirit and consciousness in theology and
religiosity, the new bill is moving backward. By spirit and
consciousness, I refer to the ethical attitude of the community
toward nature and fairness among generations.

Should change be made, the bill must include community's
responsibility to materialize the spirit and consciousness.

Ironically, the traditional community inherits the
environmental values which are inherent in people's religious
life. Take forest management, for instance. The past colonialists
wanted to bequeath money to their offsprings, while the
traditional community, on the other hand, they were eager to
bequeath forests to the succeeding generations. The community's
ethical attitude finds its expression in the community's concept
that "the earth is our mother".

ANDREAS ISWINARTO

Jakarta