Govt. criticized for compromising with polluters

JAKARTA (JP): A legislator lashed out at the government yesterday for being over-tolerant with polluting industrial companies.

"It is time to stop compromising with the polluters. The government must take strict action against them," Markus Wauran, chairman of House of Representatives' commission which deals with environmental issues, told journalists.

He said the authorities should simply revoke the operating licenses of industrial plants which continued to pollute the environment instead of giving them more time to adjust.

He recalled that the government, in July 1989, summoned dozens of the worse polluting companies. They were let off after pledging to install the necessary proper waste treatment facility within six months.

However, pollution from most of these plants has continued.

Instead of punishing them, the government had repeatedly extended the deadline, Markus said.

"There must be a limit to tolerance," he said, adding that the time has now come for the government to act and make a break through.

He fully understands the government is facing a dilemma because punishing polluters could affect the economy.

But Indonesia has to forge ahead with the concept of sustainable development and not simply look for quick growth at the expense of the environment.

"The government must be firm and consistent in dealing with environmental cases," Markus said.

The House member observed that the government failed to fully implement the sustainable development principles because of lack of funds, lack of experts and the lack of coordination among various government agencies.

There is also lack of control and lack of regulations to enforce the environmental law.

"Delinquent companies are capitalizing on these weaknesses," Markus said.

The Antara national news agency reported yesterday that the Lampung provincial government has closed down seven plants because of their failure to control their waste. Lampung appears to have taken the lead in the fight against industrial polluters.

There is no excuse for companies to keep polluting the river or the air where they operate. The government is providing soft loans for companies to buy the necessary facilities to treat their waste.

Rp 255 billion came from the Japan Overseas Economic Development. Nabiel Makarim, deputy chairman of the Environmental Impact Management Agency said one company alone received Rp 55 billion. The agency however declined to name the companies which received assistance.

Markus said the government must publicly announce the names of the recipients because what they received were soft loans. "People have the right to monitor the use of such loans," he said.

Markus said he has collected data of companies which are polluting the environment and plans to go public with their names next month.

"Some of them are foreign companies from countries which boast about the need to preserve the environment," he said.

Markus suggested that people boycott the products of the polluting companies to make them comply with the principles of the sustainable development. "I call upon the public not to buy the products of the polluting companies," he said.

He also urged importers to reject products which are not environmentally friendly.(sim)