Justice Party and forest fires

Justice Party and forest fires

From Bisnis Indonesia

Our observations over the past two years has shown that 70
percent of the fires in this country occur on plantations and
land, while the remaining 30 percent are in forested areas.

It must be kept in mind that forests and land management come
under one of the seven points in the government's priority
program and this time it is the responsibility of the state
minister of the environment. In its implementation, the offices
of the state minister of the environment will work together with
relevant government agencies and the community.

In the meantime, these fires have made many people suffer from
upper respiratory tract infections, disrupted airline schedules,
a damaged soil structure and biodiversity and given Indonesia a
reputation as a "smoke-exporting" country. In this last case,
other countries suffering from the effects of smoke could file a
lawsuit against Indonesia.

Therefore, the Justice Party makes the following call:

(1) Relevant government agencies must refrain from blaming one
another. They must also not pass their responsibilities on to
other parties. They must do away with sectoral egotism and handle
this matter in an integrated manner.

(2) The government must not make forest fires a reason to secure
more foreign loans.

(3) Legislators must be more proactive in pressuring the central
government and regional administrations so that the problem can
be solved efficiently and effectively.

(4) The community, including non-governmental organizations, must
continue monitoring the situation, especially to prevent these
fires from recurring.

ABDUL HALIM, Executive Board of Justice Party, Jakarta