Top officials play key role in success of clean-up drive
Top officials play key role in success of clean-up drive
JAKARTA (JP): A government official stressed that
environmental campaigns will not succeed if top officials fail to
take active roles.
Speaking to journalists, Gempur Anan, the director for the
control of water and land pollution in the environment minister's
office, said the success of a regional, city or village
cleanliness drive depends on the commitment of local officials.
"How can you expect the people to care and take part in such a
campaign if the officials just stay at home in bed?" he asked.
Gempur's remarks came on the eve of the annual Kalpataru and
Adipura awards for environmental work and cleanliness. The awards
will be presented by President Soeharto at the state palace this
morning.
The Kalpataru was first awarded in 1980 to individuals or
groups dedicated to environmental preservation.
The Adipura is awarded to cities, mayoralties or regencies
which have maintained a high standard of cleanliness. The award
is an incentive for townships and regencies to implement
cleanliness programs and thereby create a healthy environment.
When asked by journalists what he perceived to be the trick to
managing an Adipura-winning cleanliness program, Gempur
underlined that community participation was paramount.
In order to ignite such a campaign, however, most Indonesians
must see officials showing genuine interest in the drive, he
pointed out.
"People's participation really stems from the officials'
participation," Gempur said.
He denied suggestions that the success of a cleanliness
program depended on the financial resources available.
"Whether you have money or not, as long as you have the will
and commitment you can definitely succeed," he said.
The second important factor to a cleanliness campaign,
according to Gempur, was coordination.
Judging
Speaking on the judging of the Adipura, Gempur said that
mayoralties like Jakarta received higher marks because of the
formidable conditions they faced.
He said it would be unfair to judge a mayoralty in Jakarta,
for example, against a small town in Central Java with less
people and less grime.
He explained areas with high population densities get higher
consideration points than protocol boulevards.
Four of Jakarta's five mayoralties received the award last
year.
Gempur said two major aspects were judged: the management and
the physical aspect.
The management aspect gauged the awareness of local
administrators of environmental concerns. The criteria includes
how much of their budget is allocated to cleanliness. Community
participation in the cleanliness programs is also a deciding
factor.
The physical aspect is judged through an on-site inspection of
the area to witness the normal state of each location.(mds)