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