'Sustainable development important but nonsense'

The issue of sustainable development is well understood by those involved in policy decision-making, both in the government and the legislature. However, this issue is not recognized by laymen, including artist Ria Irawan. The Jakarta Post talked to several people from various walks of life about what their impression was of sustainable development.

Ria Irawan, actress

"I have never read an article or book with those words (sustainable development) mentioned.

It's like paying taxes. I don't like to pay taxes and I don't want to do it even though it is stated everywhere about the importance of it. It's all nonsense to me.

To me, development should be sustainable. No question about it. But no matter how many people gather there (in Bali), they'll only be just talking."

A. Sonny Keraf, former state minister of environment

"The environment issue has been a cause for concern for the international community as damage done to the environment has reached an alarming level.

Despite the alarm, however, environmental issues remain largely unknown and less popular than economic issues.

Therefore, through the Fourth Preparatory Committee Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, we hope that environmental issues will gain a more solid place in global discussions and boost all consenting parties' commitments to the environment.

This is an agenda for everyone, and not merely the decisionmakers."

Emmy Hafild, the coordinator of the Indonesian People's Forum (IPF) and executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)

"The Fourth Preparatory Committee Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development is very important since through this meeting, the seldom-heard voices of NGOs, farmers and women activists, will reach the ears of the outside world.

We will enjoy enormous publicity here as it is a place where we can fight for sustainable development, poverty and other issues.

We hope that the official participants of the meeting will merely focus on a sustainable development agenda, and not bring to the fore the issue of terrorism and other matters, which merely represent their own interests."

Noviantika Nasution, legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)

"Sustainable development means how you can educate a generation to stand on its own two feet and understand the importance of the continuity of life.

We should be educating our children to become independent individuals and not be dependent on their parents to live, as is happening to our generation.

Just take a look at the way many of our teenagers live: They have privileges, so they are ignorant and cannot understand the importance of thrift.

If you can instill in your children the need to make an effort in life, they will respect nature and think about the future generations."

Khofifah Indar Parawansa, former state minister of women's empowerment

"Sustainable development is a very big issue, encompassing the continuation of human life.

When I first heard those words I remembered seeing some areas in East Java where people had dug up sand amd rocks and drilled for oil. Those areas were alive with activity. But that's all in the past. As exploration died out, so did these areas.

Nobody has done anything about it and the government has not paid any attention to these areas.

In the future we will really have to take into account what kind of impact this type of exploration will have on our environment, and not create any more ghost towns in the country.

We have to keep in mind that we are consuming nonrenewable resources, and then we can talk about sustainable development."

Felia Salim, former deputy chairman of the bank restructuring unit at the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).

"The biggest challenge that sustainable development (in Indonesia) faces is decentralization. On the upside, (decentralization allows for) a more direct interaction with the locals. The downside is that businesses will need time to find the correct type of relationship with them. I see that some progress has been made.

The central government itself still lacks coordination, so many of our pledges are not being implemented. For instance, the one on forestry to the CGI (Consultative Group on Indonesia). They (the pledges) usually fall in priority.

There has got to be a strong political will to improve coordination. We need consensus building.

My hope, of course, is that there will be a follow-up (to the Johannesburg summit). Meaning that we need concrete definitions and implementation."

Herwidayatmo, chairman of the Capital Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam).

"It (the preparatory meeting in Bali) is a very good move to raise public awareness about the issue (of sustainable development). I am sure that to some extent there is public awareness, but it all depends on implementation.

Of course, to implement (sustainable development) is not easy. Our government has inherited so many problems and these will need to be sorted out.

The government will have to find the best way to implement sustainable development measures. And I think they (the government) recognizes the need for this.

You look at people like Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rohimin Dahuri and State Minister of Environment Nabiel Makarim, they are environmental people, they have what it takes.

On the business side, we will have to see how the government policies will go through and influence the way business is done."