Government not broker in islets lease plan
Government not broker in islets lease plan
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Minister of Maritime
Exploration Sarwono Kusumaatmadja resisted on Tuesday the
mounting criticism against the government's plan to lease islands
to investors, saying his office would not act as a broker in the
business.
The plan to lease thousands small uninhabited islands was in
accordance with the government's wish to empower the people
living around the islands, Sarwono told participants of the
second national conference on the management of Indonesian
beaches and marine resources.
The ministry held the conference in cooperation with the
Coastal Resources Center of the University of Rhode Island.
The plan to lease the islands must comply with resource
conservation and sustainable economic activities, Sarwono said.
"Treatment of our small islands in the past was poor.
Everybody felt they owned the islands and had the right to
exploit the natural resources at will by ignoring environmental
aspects."
Criticism against the plan has been rife, but many have agreed
to the idea with some conditions.
Marine and fishery experts of Hasanuddin University here
previously said that proper regulations must be prepared before
the plan took effect.
Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives A.M. Fatwa said
earlier that the government needed to consult with the House
before carrying out the plan.
Another House member, Gregorius Seto Harianto, shared Fatwa's
opinion saying the government must not act arbitrarily with the
business plan.
Responding to reporters' questions, Sarwono said on Tuesday he
saw no reason to oppose the plan. "We have yet to make the
regulations on the business," he said, adding that the government
wanted to lease, not just to rent, the islands.
He admitted to not having identified the islands to be leased
to investors. "Just wait for the regulations, then we will decide
what islands are to be leased."
The regulations would protect the islands from being used as
gambling dens, red light districts or dumping sites, he said.
Director General of Beaches, Marine Resources and Small
Islands Management Rokhmin Dahuri said on the sidelines of the
conference that Japan, Kuwait and the Netherlands had expressed
interest in the offer.
The conference also conferred awards on individuals and
institutions considered meritorious in preserving beaches and
marine resources in Indonesia.
In the individual category, the award fell to HM Thayeb, a
resident of the Sinjai regency, South Sulawesi, for his success
in rehabilitating mangrove forests in 1985. PT Bali Cruises
Nusantara, which runs a marine tourism business in Benoa, Bali,
won the award in the company category. (27/sur)