RI flexible on environment law

JAKARTA (JP): The government is willing to reconsider a five- year grace period for businesses to comply with the future law on environment, a cabinet minister said yesterday.

The government-sponsored bill, a revision of the 1982 law, has been submitted to the House of Representatives and deliberations are expected to begin soon.

State Minister of the Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said, "If the House thinks the five-year period will be too long, the government is willing to reconsider it."

The House is expected to pass the bill by the end of September.

Legislators from the United Development Party (PPP) said the five-year grace period would be too long because dishonest entrepreneurs would have time to rake in profits while disregarding the environment.

Sarwono said the grace period was created so that businesses would have time to adopt environment-friendly technology, which would also have to improve.

Deregulation of licensing might happen during the grace period, he said.

Sarwono said the grace period would give the government better reason to take tough action against businesses which failed to abide by the law. It could, for instance, revoke their permits.

But he acknowledged that the effectiveness of the law would depend greatly on law enforcers' technical skills and integrity. (aan)