Rizal calls for revise of forestry policies

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs to revise its forestry policies to solve the acute problems in the forestry sector, said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli.

Speaking at a meeting of the Association of Indonesian Economists (ISEI) in Surabaya on Friday evening, Rizal said new initiatives involving intergovernmental institutions and non- governmental organizations needed to be taken to improve forestry policies.

Rizal said the international community had long been observing Indonesia's forestry policies which have failed to curb illegal logging.

The minister made his statement following the replacement of Nur Mahmudi Ismail as Minister of Forestry by Marzuki Usman, who is the former state minister of tourism.

Nur Mahmudi was dismissed by President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday on the grounds that the former Justice Party (PK) chairman's vision for the forestry sector was unclear.

Defense minister Mahfud M.D. said Nur Mahmudi's policies were often not in line with the President's.

At a media conference on Friday, Nur Mahmudi said he had expected to be replaced.

"It has been hinted at for a long time ... long before the haj pilgrimage," he said.

Nur Mahmudi said he strongly believed his dismissal was because he had refused the President's orders to replace the ministry's secretary-general, Soeripto.

"If he (the President) had asked Pak Ripto be replaced because of a difference in vision and politics, I would not have hesitated ... but since it were based on unfounded accusations, I did not consent," he said, adding that the accusations against Soeripto had been voiced for a long time.

Soeripto has been accused, among other things, of secretly meeting with former chief of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwopranjono to plot Abdurrahman's downfall, of smuggling fugitive Tommy Soeharto out of the country in one of the ministry's helicopters, and of conspiring with the Army to smuggle logs out of the country.

Nur Mahmudi also denied that he had no clear vision for the forestry sector.

He said during his time as minister he had done his best to rid the ministry of collusive, corruptive and nepotistic practices, and also tried to recover reforestation funds which had been misused.

"We are the only ministry that has filed a case against a high profile figure, like Bob Hasan, who has now been sentenced to six years in jail," Nur Mahmudi said.

Bob Hasan, a former minister of industry and trade under former president Soeharto, has been convicted of abusing funds for aerial photography through his company PT Mapindo Parama.

Nur Mahmudi also said there were other high profile cases that the ministry was currently working on.

Soeripto said he was currently compiling evidence against Probosutedjo and Prajogo Pangestu who are high profile businessmen.

Probosutedjo is allegedly involved in fraud through his company PT Menara Hutan Buana, and Prajogo Pangestu's company, PT Musi Hutan Persada, is also allegedly involved in a markup of an industrial forest project in South Sumatra and of not repaying reforestation loans, he said.

According to the Kompas daily, reforestation funds loaned to PT Musi Hutan Persada, as of Jan. 15 2001, amounted to Rp 182.1 billion (about US$18.2 million), of which the company has only repaid Rp 42 billion.

In a ceremony installing Marzuki Usman as the new minister of forestry on Saturday, President Abdurrahman Wahid said the new minister must put priority on saving the forests.

"The forest is our natural wealth, so it has to be managed as well as possible and treated as part of our national heritage," he said at the ceremony.

Marzuki said one of his first priorities would be to prevent forest fires, which he said had been the source of humiliation.

"We are ashamed of being blamed (for the forest fires) by the world every year," he said, adding that he would welcome advice from all related institutions. (tnt)