No more 'business as usual', says Dorodjatun
No more 'business as usual', says Dorodjatun
The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti
called on businesses on Tuesday to leave their "business as
usual" practices and move toward more responsible methods
benefiting society and the environment.
Meanwhile, the business leaders said that the awareness was
there, claiming that they had carried out efforts to pursue
sustainable development, including protecting the environment and
helping the society, but other factors prevented them from doing
it all the time.
Dorodjatun said the business sectors were given emphasis
because they had an immense role in the sustainable development
drive.
Businesses, according to Dorodjatun, had become the most
powerful institution after nation states. They are now stronger
than labor unions or non-governmental organizations (NGO).
"Even, in some cases, the governments are even powerless in
facing multinational corporations," Dorodjatun told business
players during a luncheon speech in Nusa Dua, on the sidelines of
the current ministerial/preparatory committee meeting for the
World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Unfortunately, many business sectors had failed to push ahead
with the sustainable development drive in their operations, and
worse, they were deceitful to the public by defending their
harmful practices through public relations moves, said
Dorodjatun.
Due to the immense role of business, their contributions were
needed both to prevent their harmful practices to the environment
and to support community and government programs to continue
development while maintaining the ecological balance for future
generations.
"There should be concrete action. For example, after digging
the earth, the mining companies must carry out reforestation to
prevent ecological damage in the area," said Dorodjatun in an
interview with The Jakarta Post, after the luncheon.
The failure to contribute to protecting the environment could
lead to disaster in the future.
"The next generations deserve a better life, and the business
sectors are also responsible for this," Dorodjatun said.
Meanwhile, business leaders claimed that they had given
particular attention to sustainable development through, for
example, the establishment of foundations dealing with issues on
environmental impact.
Mining company Rio Tinto and consumer product company PT
Unilever Indonesia Tbk -- both foreign-owned companies -- were
among those which had established such foundations, the Rio Tinto
Foundation and Uli Peduli Foundation respectively.
The companies kept parts of their profits flowing to such
foundations to finance the sustainable development drive such as
through Clean Rivers and Forestation programs.
"We keep the highest standards for corporate behavior, not
only to the employees, but also to public," claimed A.A.
Pranatadjaja, the director of PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk.