Govt criticized over assessment body

Musthofid and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

National forest watchdogs are questioning the efficiency and impartiality of the Independent Verification Institute (LPI) set up by the forestry ministry to assess logging concessionaires, and the Rp 148 billion fund proposed for its operations.

"I can say, to some extent, it's unnecessary," Togu Manurung of Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) said on the sidelines of a one- day dialog on sustainable forest management at Hotel Ibis in West Jakarta on Tuesday.

"What is the point of spending such a huge amount of money if it is only to assess the companies' performance, to determine whether or not they deserve a contract extension? The ministry could have turned the task to its staff members.

"Many of the ministry's staff make annual visits to concessionaires' operation sites. They must have obtained data about the concessionaires that could have been used as a basis for their own assessment," Togu argued.

LPI, which was established in the aftermath of the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, is tasked with helping the forestry ministry determine whether a logging concessionaire is eligible to continue its operation.

In the past, the task was undertaken by the ministry and its branches in the provinces.

When asked why the ministry relinquished the strategic role, forestry ministry secretary-general Wahjudi Wardojo said: "There is a need for a platform that ensures independency and objectivity in the assessment."

Wahjudi refused to comment on the amount proposed for LPI's operations, saying it would have to rely on financial support from the ministry in its initial stage.

The ministry has yet to get an approval for the fund from the Ministry of Finance.

LPI comprises representatives of 12 companies selected from around 90, according to Lumisu Mangiwa, the ministry's director in charge of forest exploitation planning.

Expected to start operation next month, LPI's immediate task is to deal with 116 companies which are awaiting the ministry's approval for an extension of their contracts. There are a total of 412 concessionaires currently operating throughout Indonesia.

The ministry has also set up a 24-point criteria, or indicators, based on which LPI will make its assessment.

Togu criticized the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI 5000 national standard in formulating the criteria. He said the SNI standard, which is sanctioned by the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute (LEI), was a good tool to measure a company's performance.

"I'm sure if the ministry adopts the SNI 5000, many companies will not pass the assessment. And the ministry knows that," he said.

Wahjudi admitted that although LPI's indicators are less demanding than those of LEI, they are based on the directives of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).

Asked about the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI, he said: "What we will do is to assess companies' eligibility. It's not a certification, which they can obtain from the international ecolabelling body if they want to."

Togu also was skeptical the new body could be partial, given the fact that one of its members, Forest For Life International (FFL), is chaired by Mahfud, who is also an official of the forestry ministry in charge of the research and development affairs.

FFL cannot be expected to be partial in making the assessment because of a conflict of interest, Togu argued.

Herry Purnomo, a scientist working for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), said the mechanism in formulating the 24-point criteria was indicative of the ministry's lack of public-oriented vision.

"The ministry should have discussed the indicators through a public consultation. The indicators could be bias because they were made without involving the stake holders," Herry Purnomo said.

However, Herry added that now that LPI had been established, people had better keep a watchful eye to monitor its activities.

Strict monitoring of logging practices has been called for, given the trend that many logging companies have violated the law. Violations and outside illegal logging, have contributed to the speedy devastation of Indonesia's forests.

There are 412 logging companies operating on around 37 million hectares of forest areas. The total area is roughly triple the size of Java Island.

More than two million hectares of forest suffer destruction every year, and if the trend continues, as the World Bank warns, Indonesia could lose the lowland forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan in 2005 and 2010 respectively.