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)