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