More public input clled for on environment bill

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives welcomes more public input in its deliberation of the environment law amendment bill, a Golkar legislator said yesterday.

Legislator Didin S. Sastrapradja said the dominant party, Golkar, had already listed issues and concerns raised by non- government organizations, government-sponsored research institutes and environmental law experts.

But Golkar was looking forward to more public input on the government-sponsored bill, he said.

"As long as submissions are clear and reasonable, the House will work to incorporate them into the bill."

The bill was submitted on Jan. 29 to amend the 1982 Environment Law, which is considered too weak to deal with growing pressure on environment.

"We're committed to making a better law," Didin, also a biology professor at University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post.

The Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, a non-government organization, supported yesterday's proposal to involve the public more in deliberation of the bill.

Its spokesperson, Siti Megadianty Adam, said: "The bill should have the authority to establish a stronger and wider corridor for people's participation in environmental management,"

As the Agenda 21 discussion and Rio Declaration had concluded, a strong civil society was the key to a country's sustainable development, she said.

Agenda 21 is a document on the sustainable development action plans submitted by 179 countries in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The document aims to encourage international cooperation for a good environment and healthy economic development.

Megadianty cited the bill's articles on people's participation and decentralized people's participation, which she said were "unclear and unsettled" because they contained a "further regulation by the government" clause.

"Just delete the clause," she said.

She said it was important that the bill explicitly reflect and interpret the principles and action plans declared at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

The principles include inter-generational justice, justice within a generation, biodiversity protection, environmental cost internalization and incentives, consultation and public participation in development.

"These are not yet reflected optimally in the environment bill," Megadianty said.

She said the bill should specify clear cut and enduring principles, so that the law would operate rather than be dependent on too many operational regulations.

"The reference to operational regulations should only be for technical things," she said.

"The new law should not leave loopholes for interpretation which could confuse people," Megadianty said, again referring to the people's participation article in the bill.

"It's too much to include the 'regulated by the government' clause. Just delete it," she said. (aan)