Now for the action

It has taken Indonesia many years, and an international scandal, for the country to finally wake up to the immensity of the looting that has been going on for decades in its lush tropical rain forests.

But now at least it seems that action may finally be taken to do something about it.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono summoned on Tuesday the five high-level government officials most directly concerned with the country's decades-old problem of illegal logging to a hastily assembled meeting and ordered them to arrest 32 timber barons currently on the government's blacklist for allegedly backing the country's notorious illegal timber trade.

Present at Tuesday's meeting were the Minister of Forestry, M. S. Kaban, Home Minister M. Ma'ruf, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, Army Headquarters Assistant of Operations Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri and the Director General of Immigration, Iman Santosa. After it was done, Da'i was appointed to lead an "integrated operation."

The five officials the president handpicked to attend were chosen for good reason. As the president pointed out during the gathering, "many parties" were involved in the murky illegal timber business, among them, personnel from the Navy's Eastern Fleet Command, officers from the Army's various regional commands in timber-rich areas, regional police officers, local administrators, personnel from the Ministry of Forestry, immigration officials and, last but not least, members of international smuggling syndicates.

"The president ordered 'shock therapy' ... and a special investigation to be initiated, the findings of which are to be reported (to the president) within two weeks," Kaban said during a news conference given after the meeting.

And to convince the public that the president meant business, presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng added that a detailed report from the non-governmental organization Telapak was already in the president's hands, and "nobody in this country is above the law."

So it seems that, for once, the robbers might be able to see the ominous shadow of the law approaching. On the other hand, it remains to be seen what legal course of action is really open to the government, what political considerations might have to be weighed, and what the possible consequences of "shock therapy" might be for everyone concerned.

Be that as it may, it is obvious that the last drop that caused the bucket to overflow and forced the government into action was the evidence made public by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) along with Telapak in Jakarta last week. The racket apparently involves the smuggling of an estimated 300,000 cubic meters of timber a month from Indonesia -- mostly Papua province -- to China and beyond, and valued at more than a billion dollars.

In a news conference held in Jakarta last week, the environmentalists also made the allegation that the racket -- the biggest case of timber smuggling ever recorded -- was backed and managed by high-ranking Indonesian military officers aided and abetted by local government administrators and other law enforcers. The ring reportedly involves a group of international crime syndicates that are involved in the massive looting of timber to supply the growing demands worldwide, particularly China.

Clearly, the task that Gen. Da'i and his colleagues are facing is formidable indeed. Not only does he have to confront some of the most hardened criminals in this part of the world, he -- and his colleagues, too -- will have to conduct a sweeping clean-up of their own houses as well, with all the possible consequences that implies.

Not to be left behind in all this, the House of Representatives too is busying itself by initiating moves to set up a special commission to "dismantle" the illegal logging business which, legislators realize, has reached alarming proportions.

Whatever may come from all these moves remains to be seen. But the ball seems to be rolling and there can be no turning back. Frankly though, doubts exist as to the capability of those who have been put in charge of bringing the operation to a successful end any time soon, let alone coming up with a credible report within two weeks. It is going to be a tough job. However, if the destruction of our environment is to be brought to a halt, now is the time to act. At stake is the well-being of this entire nation.