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)