Participants in forestry hearing agree to disagree
Participants in forestry hearing agree to disagree
JAKARTA (JP): Forest people, timber companies, environmental organizations and government officials from Asia attacked one another in an unprecedented public hearing yesterday.
The comfort of the convention hall at the Sahid Jaya Hotel helped to douse the two-day hearing which at times turned into shouting matches among the various "stakeholders".
Yet, in spite of the heated debate, the meeting involving more than 300 people ended in an agreement that such the meeting had provided them with a rare forum to air grievances and discuss problems together.
Emil Salim, the chairman of the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation who chaired the two-day conference, said he was pleased that the meeting had ended with parties agreeing the need to hold more frequent meetings in which all stakeholders could sit together.
At least among the Indonesian participants, which dominated the forum, there was an agreement that they will meet again, Emil said. "Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo told me he is prepared to attend such discussions in the future," he told a media conference at the end of the public hearing.
This is the first regional public hearing on the subject held in and is part of the activity organized by the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development.
The commission on Thursday is scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss many of the points raised at the public hearing and to come up with a set of recommendations that will be submitted to the United Nations for approval.
Some members of the commission and participants of the public hearing today will travel to East Kalimantan to visit some forestry projects there.
Silvanus Ngampun, a representative of the Dayak tribe in East Kalimantan, told the public hearing that concessions given to timber companies barely promote the welfare of the people who live in the forest.
"Even the few local people hired by timber companies are being paid below the government's minimum wage level of Rp 4,600 a day," Silvanus said.
"Most of the jobs in concession projects go to migrant workers who have better skill. The local people are given menial jobs," he said.
Other local people who raised complaints about the presence of timber companies in their midst yesterday were those from Irian Jaya and Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara.
Timber companies came to the hearing well prepared.
Antonio G. Bernas, an executive of DMCI Project Development Company in Manila, said the people near the forest concessions were often difficult to work with, making forest management sometimes a difficult task.
Emmy Hafield, coordinator for special programs of the Indonesian Environmental Forum, said NGOs should be given more opportunity to deal with forest management activities.
"We can provide alternative solution for companies in their forest management programs, by means of our network with other NGOs in other countries," she said.
John Valentine, a participant from New Zealand, said NGOs and business sectors can work together in forest management programs.
"We have started the NGOs-businesses cooperation since five years ago," he said.
B.C.Y. Freezailah, a member of the commission from Malaysia and also chairman of the International Timber Organization (ITTO), said his institution does not have the power to punish members that violate forest management agreements.
But the ITTO is working on tighter regulations. "We are planning to adopt rules and regulations on forest management. Currently, we can only influence our members not to violate the agreement," he told reporters during the lunch break.
Minister Djamaludin agreed that the local people should be involved in managing the forest in their respective areas.
The participants to the public hearing yesterday were from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. (imn)