Environment on agenda, but poll priority: Parties
JAKARTA (JP): The environment has lost its importance in this era of reform, but representatives of 10 political parties here denied on Tuesday they had overlooked green issues when drawing up their strategies for the election.
The parties claimed they had decided to focus exclusively on making the June 7 general election a success, saying that only after passing that milestone would they begin to address other issues, including protecting the environment.
During a discussion organized by Antara and the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), party officials and legislators pointed out that the House of Representatives had to date played an ineffectual role in efforts to protect the environment.
Parties represented at the discussion were the People's Awakening Party (PKB), Golkar, the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the United Development Party (PPP), both camps of the splintered Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the New Masyumi Party, the People's Party (PARI), the Women's Party and the Justice Party (PK). The discussion was chaired by senior environmental campaigner Erna Witoelar.
"It's not that a vision is not important, but we've got to define our problems now. Let's target a successful general election first," PPP deputy secretary-general Bachtiar Chamsyah said.
If the election failed, he said, the House of Representatives would be unable to exert an effective influence on the executive branch of the government.
"The new law on the composition of legislatures has guaranteed a more powerful House," Bachtiar said.
Two serving members of the House, Golkar's Abu Hasan Sazili and Markus Wauran of the PDI, agreed and pointed out that the House was powerless to act to protect the environment, even after high-profile reports of specific cases of negligence reach the national media.
Markus cited the award of enormous concessions to exploit natural resources to politically well-connected businessmen.
"In the future, the power of the House and the government must be equal," Sazili said.
Markus also called for non-governmental groups, the press and students to form pressure groups to campaign for tougher enforcement of existing environmental legislation.
Wauran criticized a controversial recommendation to import waste from Singapore made by his PDI colleague Panangian Siregar, who is the state minister of environment.
"If the imported waste turns up to be toxic as some have claimed, we'll give him a piece of our mind," Wauran said.
Markus complained that questions over Panangian's controversial recommendation followed him wherever he went.
Also cited as an example of the impotence of the House was the recent announcement that President B.J. Habibie had given his support to a plan by mining company PT Freeport Indonesia to double daily ore output at its Grasberg mine in Irian Jaya.
Iman, a representative of the PDI Perjuangan, the party faction loyal to Megawati Soekarnoputri, said that greater protection for the environment could not be brought about in the absence of democracy.
Aliman Masykur Musa from the PKB said that political parties should cooperate with non-governmental organizations to secure greater protection for the environment.
La Rose of the Women's Party reminded politicians that they had a responsibility to ensure that future generations inherit a sound environment. "We've been good in taking, but bad at managing (natural resources)," she asserted.
Erna concluded the talks by pledging that politicians would strive to tighten environmental regulations after going to the polls in June.
Indonesia, a country blessed with natural wealth unrivaled around the globe, is among the world's poorest countries. Many observers believe the country's current plight is the result of unregulated and uncontrolled exploitation of its natural resources over the last three decades. (aan)