Funds to fight forest fires

Funds to fight forest fires

From Media Indonesia

I fully agree with this newspaper's editorial of Sept. 24 on forest fires titled: We indeed are strange people.

However, with regard to business tycoons and companies holding forest concessions, "apathetic" seems to be a more suitable epithet than "strange". The feelings of shame, concern, solidarity, responsibility and millions of other feelings are all dead. It may well be that these people never consider that this national disaster is taking place in their own country.

I hold the view that these business tycoons can play a very important role in financial matters:

1. They can supply all the funds needed to combat forest fires at locations under their management and play an active role in assisting the coordination board in the provision of facilities and personnel.

2. They can join forces to make funds available for the handling of the impact of these forest fires outside their own locations.

The funds needed may be of a great magnitude, but they are certainly smaller that the profits these business tycoons have accumulated so far.

PIET SOEPRIJADI

South Jakarta