Fast, transparent legal process on illegal logging a must
Fast, transparent legal process on illegal logging a must
Tony Hotland
Jakarta
A group of environmentalists renewed on Wednesday their call for
a prompt and transparent legal process in illegal logging cases
as a condition to restore public trust in the government and to
deter other people from committing the crime.
"These guidelines won't be effective if they are not
accommodated with the courage (of law enforcers). Penalties must
also be executed in a fast and stern way, whatever the level of
the harshness is," spokesman for the group Agus Setyarso from the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) told The Jakarta Post on
Wednesday.
Agus was referring to the new guidelines for tackling illegal
logging drafted by the Ministry of Forestry, WWF, and the
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).
Representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from
various regions, the forestry ministry and law enforcement
institutions ended on Wednesday a two-day discussion on the
draft, which covers problems related to illegal logging issues.
The government is currently finishing a regulation in lieu of
the law on illegal logging, which allows the establishment of a
special institution authorized to investigate, arrest and
prosecute those involved in the crime.
This is expected to speed up the legal process in illegal
logging cases since the institution will not have to go through
the bureaucratic levels of the police or the prosecutor's office.
Agus said the existing law enforcement failed to deter illegal
loggers, not only because of lenient punishments, but because big
players were untouchable.
"Besides, the database of illegal logging cases is
uncoordinated, confusing the detection and monitoring of such
crimes. The NGOs, the (forestry) ministry, and other activists
keep their own data, while, on the other hand, coordination among
law enforcers is poor," said Agus, who also heads the committee
that made the draft.
He also reverberated the need to equally promote the country's
wood industry, which comprises legal activity, to balance the
widespread campaign against illegal logging.
"The international world has given quite extreme responses to
our campaign against illegal logging by gradually refusing to buy
our timber. The government must provide details about trustworthy
timber companies and their forest concessions for the sake of our
wood industry," he asserted.
The group also suggested that the central government and local
administrations improve their communication to avoid the
enforcement of conflicting regulations.
"The implementation of the regional autonomy law remains far
from ideal. Local administrations can issue regulations that
often contradict the higher ones. This frustrates investors,
while on the other hand illegal loggers are using existing
loopholes and local regulations (that accommodate their
operations)," he said.
The discussions, said Agus, also brought inputs, such as the
determinant indicators to review the effectiveness of a
regulation or an action in connection with illegal logging.
Agus said the draft would be reformulated and then distributed
to local administrations as a reference.