'Sustainable development important but nonsense'

'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."