Government refuses to delay debate on forestry bill

Government refuses to delay debate on forestry bill

JAKARTA (JP): Ministry of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin
Nasution said on Friday the government had no plans to delay
deliberation of the forestry bill in the House of
Representatives.

Muslimin said postponement of House debates on the bill would
mean a delay in implementation of the forest law, which would be
unacceptable.

He denied the draft law had been made without taking into
account public input.

"In fact, 60 percent of the existing draft comprises public
input, while the government makes up the rest with a 40 percent
(contribution)," he said.

Muslimin said the draft would remain open for changes during
the deliberation process. House members would be allowed to
revise the legislation during the process if they considered it
too weak to protect the forests or local peoples' rights.

"The House should take into account public input, including
that from universities, analysts, nongovernmental organizations,
as well as the private sector, during deliberation of the bill.

House debate on the bill will begin next week.

Former minister of environment Emil Salim and former minister
of forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo have urged the government
to revise the bill, saying it was ineffective to protect the
country's forests.

They said the bill's debate should be delayed until new
members of the House were appointed in September, in order to
give more time to the government to gain input from forest
concessionairs. They urged comprehensive studies be undertaken in
order to create a better forestry bill.

They said the bill, in addition to lacking empowerment
measures for local peoples, also failed to spell out the need to
follow international conventions on forests, biodiversity and the
global climate.

Under the conventions, the government agreed to protect its
virgin forests and reduce forest exploitation.

Calls to delay the House debate on the bill were made on
Friday by state-run Brawidjaya University's Faculty of Law and
the Forestry Community Communication Forum (FKKM).

Brawidjaya University said the proposed law would fail to
protect forest areas because it did not specify appropriate
penalties for parties found responsible for degradation of
forestry areas.

"The penalty imposed on parties breaching the forestry law and
damaging the forest in the bill is too weak," the University said
in a statement.

The government would maintain its monopoly over management of
the country's forest resources in draft law, the statement said.

FKKM chairman Hasanu Simon said the draft law did not support
the government's program of encouraging public participation in
the forestry area.

Muslimin denied the bill did not provide enough recognition
and protection for local peoples, saying the bill specified the
involvement of the local communities in logging activities.

He said the bill stipulated the government would pay more
attention to the rights of local groups before granting forest
concessions.

He said the bill also required the government to prioritize
small-scale businesses in the management of forests.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Indonesian Forestry Community
Sudradjat DP said the forestry law should be prepared
transparently and carefully to provide more certainties to
forestry businesses.(gis)