Environment needs own ministry: PPP

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) has recommended establishing an environment ministry with more budget and better human resources than the current non-portfolio office to deal with increasingly complicated environmental problems.

"Indonesia needs a new and powerful ministry, say a ministry of environment and regional planning, to handle all environmental issues," Nasir Tamara of PPP said in a seminar held by the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) on Monday.

The ministry would have offices across the country to enforce environmental laws, he added. It would be empowered to impose substantial fines on polluting companies, with the payments to be used to remedy environmental damage.

Other speakers in the seminar were Eki Syachrudin of the Golkar Party, Tanzil Salim of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and leading environmental expert Emil Salim.

Eki said a new ministry would not solve the problems. He believed a campaign to raise public awareness about potentially damaging projects and the people's participation in decision making would be more beneficial.

"There should be a mechanism, such as a hearing board, to enable people to air their opinions on large-scale projects such as dams, toll roads or other infrastructure," he said.

Public participation is necessary to guard against "money- thirsty bureaucrats" making the decisions unilaterally, he said.

In his address, Tanzil stressed the importance of good governance and public empowerment. He cited the controversial forestry bill, which he believed focused on exploitation rather than sustainable resources management.

ICEL executive director Mas Ahmad Santosa concurred. "The government is neglecting the public's rights in regard to the deliberation of the bills on natural resources."

The House of Representatives decided on Monday to deliberate the forestry bill despite earlier demands for its postponement. Among those making the calls were Emil Salim, former forestry minister Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo and forestry experts from several universities.

Opponents said the bill failed to observe people's traditional rights on forestry and that it was established without involving forestry stakeholders.

Emil said on Monday that PPP's approach to the environmental issue was anthropocentric, but Golkar adopted a sectoral approach which was insufficient given the complexity of the problem.

"We need to use a holistic approach," he said.

"The environment is public property that can't be valued by money," Emil said.(05/gis)