Government told lies at Summit, NGOs say

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An alliance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has said it uncovered numerous lies in the country report delivered by the government in the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSSD) in Johannesburg earlier this month.

Speaking at a media conference, the Indonesian People Forum (IPF) demanded that Nabiel Makarim, the state minister of the environment, withdraw and correct the report, otherwise the government would face a lawsuit for deceiving the public.

"It is shameful that Nabiel Makarim tried to impress the world with the many lies told at the Earth Summit for obtaining funds from donors. He should be held responsible for his actions," said E.G. Togu Manurung, a member of IPF who is also the director of Forest Watch Indonesia.

IPF comprises, among others, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation (Kehati) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The 98-page country report, which comes in the form of a book and a compact disc, contains 39 issues in sustainable development in Indonesia. It was distributed to all countries taking part in the Earth Summit in Johannesburg between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4.

Togu said the government lied to the world as it presented data revealing that only between 200,000 hectares and 5 million hectares of forests were destroyed due to fires between 1997 and 1998.

Citing data from the National University of Singapore, which used satellite imagery to measure the extent of the damage, WWF and the Integrated Forest Fires Management (IFFM), Togu said the actual size of forest destruction reached 10 million hectares.

In health, he said, the government censored the infant mortality rate by providing only part of the data. The government reported that the rate declined from 145 per 1,000 babies in 1967 to 52 per 1,000 in 1995.

"Why didn't the government show the latest data in 2001? I am suspicious that it was trying to hide the fact that during the crisis, starting in 1997, the mortality rate increased," he said.

Another IPF member Nina Dwi Sasanti of the Networking on Coast and Sea (Jaring Pela) said the government did not incorporate into the country report the destruction of many marine species due to the disposal of waste from submarines.

The government also did not include the country's mining record despite its major contribution to environmental damage, another IPF member said.

Longgena Ginting, the IPF coordinator, who is also the Walhi executive director, said the government not only lied in the country report, but also did not follow through on its deal with IPF to attach the alliance's version with the report.

The government did not involve the public in contributing to the report nor did it carry out a proper promotional campaign about it prior to the Earth Summit, he said.

"To get the country report was also difficult," he said.

Spokeswoman for the State Ministry of the Environment Sri Hudyastuti denied IPF's allegations, saying that the country report was based on official data.

"We never intended to lie. Should there be any discrepancies let's correct them together," she said.

She promised to set up a meeting between IPF and Nabiel to discuss making corrections to the report.