Keep criticisms indoors: Ginandjar
Keep criticisms indoors: Ginandjar
JAKARTA (JP): Shortcomings in national development should not be covered up. However, neither should they be used to tarnish the government's image abroad, said Minister of National Development Planning Ginandjar Kartasasmita.
Any problems in development should be discussed first with the authorities in order to work towards a gradual improvement of policies, Ginandjar said.
The minister made the remarks in a closed-door meeting with activists from local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Monday, which was held in the wake of his recent charges that NGOs had disseminated lies in the U.S.
Ginandjar said local NGOs have fabricated the stories of how coercion was used against women in the family planning and transmigration programs.
The main points discussed in the closed meeting were listed by one of the attending NGOs, the Network for Forest Conservation in Indonesia (SKEPHI), and sent to the press yesterday.
The minister was not available for further comment yesterday.
Ginandjar had criticized the NGOs on the basis of a taped interview of a radio talk show with New York-based NGOs.
According to SKEPHI spokesman S. Indro Tjahjono, some NGO members told Ginandjar in the meeting that he had blemished his own public image.
Ginandjar had campaigned a few months ago for more public debate over government policies. He expressed this view, much to the public's delight, when receiving his doctorate degree from a state-owned university.
"One person even asked Ginandjar what his interest in smearing NGOs was," Indro told The Jakarta Post.
"But Ginandjar insisted he was only expressing his concern."
The NGO members, around 30 of them, who attended the talks listened to the contents of the taped interview.
The NGO members, including Patricia Armstrong of the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights, stressed the need of the World Bank and the Consultative Group on Indonesia, two international funding institutions, to consider Indonesia's record on human rights and environmental protection in their assistance programs.
"The important point about the talk show was that 90 percent of the data was not from Indonesian NGOs," said Indro.
Ginandjar had said local NGOs spread lies to foreign NGOs to lobby international funding groups to reduce aid to Indonesia.
"The talk show just raised issues which are similar to public concerns...such as assistance from international funding agencies which are not ecologically and socially sound," said Indro.
Quoting Ginandjar, Indro said "telling the world" of Indonesia's shortcomings has been "counter-productive." It has resulted in the erosion of trust towards government institutions, the minister said.
Ginandjar cited the withdrawal of the insurance of PT Freeport Indonesia by a United States agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. as one of the "unfavorable results" of the NGOs' constant criticism which the government must face.
The minister said the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), which he chairs, acknowledges differences in opinion, and that he was ready for more talks with NGOs.
Indro regretted that the talks on Monday did not touch on how the government can look into criticism and act on it if necessary.
"We left the meeting wondering what he had summoned us for." he said.(anr)