Environment still ignored

Environment still ignored

From Neraca

According to an assessment made by the Forum for Environmental Affairs (Walhi) East Java office, the government -- during the New Order regime and B.J. Habibie presidency and at present under President Abdurrahman Wahid -- has never shown concrete efforts and measures to pay more attention to environmental affairs.

The administrations of Soeharto, Habibie or Abdurrahman were and are only concerned with how to exploit natural resources to the optimum. In fact, 90 percent of the environment in Indonesia is now confronted with very serious problems of damage.

In determining its development platform, the present Cabinet is just the same as the previous ones. It has never considered whether the carrying capacity and the accommodating capacity of natural resources are limited or whether they are renewable.

In our opinion, the main focus of the present administration is how to generate as much foreign exchange as possible. Most programs of exploitation of even renewable natural resources are still not properly controlled. In fact, the government should think about how to renew these resources to ensure they will be sustainable and the environmental balance will not be disrupted.

In our view, careful observation must be made of the three issues that the government prioritizes: human rights, regional autonomy and the plan to exploit marine resources. Efforts must be made to ensure that a marine institution has not been established just to serve as a new instrument to exploit marine resources with the risk of more serious environmental damage.

SUSIANTO

Executive Director

Walhi East Java

Surabaya