Govt issues decrees on illegal logging, activists unimpressed
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In another effort to curb illegal logging, the government has issued a joint ministerial decree on the transportation of logs and a minister of trade decree on the exports of logs.
But the noted green organization, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), has expressed its skepticism over the effectiveness of the new decrees, saying that past decrees proved to be worthless against the illegal loggers, often backed by the security forces.
Minister of Trade and Industry Rini MS Soewandi, Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa, and Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar signed the joint ministerial decree here on Wednesday evening, witnessed by Indonesian Military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto and police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar.
The joint ministerial decree stipulates that the interisland transportation of logs must be carried out by locally-registered vessels.
"Timber transportation must use an Indonesian-flagged vessel that is operated by a local shipping company, or a naval ship," Rini said, as quoted by Antara.
It is not clear, however, what the precise objective of the decree is, although Rini noted that it would allow easier monitoring of log trafficking.
On the same day, Rini signed a ministerial decree to require log exports to be sent by registered exporters.
These registered exporters, which could also be timber companies themselves, have to regularly report to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Forestry on their planned annual timber production and exports as well as their actual production and exports.
"Therefore, it will be easier for us to track down where the timber products are from," Rini said.
Sudar SA, director general of international trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that registered exporters had to obtain letters of recommendation from the Forest Industry Revitalization Body (BRIK) for their export plans.
This new mechanism, he said, was aimed at limiting the exportation of illegal logs as all logs would have to go through the registered companies.
Now, all traders and exporters can export their logs.
Walhi executive director Longgena Ginting, however, expressed his pessimism over the effectiveness of the new decrees.
He noted that the decrees would not be effective in halting illegal logging as long as the government failed to restructure timber-based companies.
"The decrees don't touch the root of the problem. It will be fruitless unless the government takes action to restructure the timber industry," Longgena told The Jakarta Post.
Longgena said the demand for timber products reached some 63 million cubic meters in 2002, far higher than the official national supply of 12 million cubic meters. This meant that there were some 51 million cubic meters of illegal logs used last year.
According to Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa, over 10 million cubic meters of timber was smuggled abroad in 2001 alone.
Many of the smugglers were arrested and brought before the court, but most escaped serious punishment. Many of them were allegedly backed by security officers.
Endriartono acknowledged that a number of TNI officers were involved in illegal logging, but he promised to stop them.
"If there are TNI members protecting log smugglers, I will not hesitate to shoot them. I will also shoot the businessmen who get the TNI members involved in the smuggling."
Gen. Da'i also gave a similar promise, saying that he would sack any local police chiefs who turned a blind eye to illegal logging.