Nabiel rapped over comments on water bill
Nabiel rapped over comments on water bill
A number of non-governmental organizations criticized on Monday
State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim over his seeming
endorsement of the controversial bill on water resources.
Nabiel said early last week that his office would thoroughly
review the bill on natural resources and that the deliberation of
the controversial water resource bill should be continued.
According to Nabiel, the bill on natural resources, which had
been submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation,
gave too much authority to tribal communities, some of which had
proven to be unable to manage their natural resources properly.
"Nabiel should retract his statement," Nur Hidayat of the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said in a press
conference jointly organized with the Nusantara Tribal
Communities Association (AMAN), the Civil Society Coalition for
Participatory Policy, the People's Coalition for Rights over
Water and the Coalition for Farmer's Rights.
Nur said the bill on natural resources, which was drafted by
Nabiel's office and had been discussed by a variety of public
groups in more than 150 meetings over the last year and a half,
should be pursued.
Activist Poltak Ike Wibowo of the farmer's coalition said
Nabiel's statement could be understood as endorsing the
controversial bills on water resources.
"The statement is dangerous as it can be used by proponents of
the water resource bill," Poltak said.
He said the endorsement of the water bill would only benefit
private companies, but cause losses to the public, especially
farmers.
Activists claimed that the motives for the deliberation of the
water resource bill was linked to the disbursement of a US$300
million World Bank loan under the Water Resources Sector
Adjustment Loan (WATSAL).
Under the WATSAL, the World Bank disburses loans in three
tranches -- the first $50 million was handed over in June 1999,
then $100 million at the end of 2001, and the remaining $150
million will be disbursed once Indonesia completed its water
reform initiative, including privatizing the water sector.--JP