Who has the right stuff to manage the environment?

By Carl Chairul

JAKARTA (JP): Environmental protection sounds like an outdated term amid a series of crises in our International Monetary Fund- ridden economy, both in politics and national pride. Environmental expert Nabiel Makarim regards the period from 1997 until now as the environment's dark age.

Who can think of environmental protection when a decent meal is beyond reach? Which company would spend millions of rupiah to treat its waste when it is suffering losses day to day?

And what environment minister can do a satisfactory job when his term of service is a matter of months?

Nyaris tak terdengar (almost unheard of). That was the general comment about the current State Ministry of the Environment uttered by participants in the panel discussion "The Profile of Environment Minister in the Upcoming Cabinet" last Wednesday.

The discussion was held by HIDUP Indonesia, an association of companies dealing in the production, sale and promotion of environmental products, services and technology for sustainable development of the country.

The keynote speakers were Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, himself a former environment minister; Laksamana Sukardi from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan); and Nabiel Makarim, the previous deputy head of the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal).

With about 50 businesspeople and environmentally concerned members of the public, the discussion was aimed at determining the right criteria for the next environment minister. As Frans Tshay, the chairman of Hidup Indonesia, put it, results of the discussion would be part of a "mosaic" in the portrait of the next environment minister.

The moderator began the discussion by noting that the environment was put in a marginal position, far below other widely discussed national issues. After four ministers of the environment, we have not gone far in managing the environment.

Perhaps feeling that the finger of blame was pointed at him, Sarwono reasoned that an "environmental consciousness" was a new concept in Indonesia and that the bureaucracy was not in favor of its promotion. The environment ministry is regarded as an appendix to the already established government administration with minor authority to impart punishment on violators. As a "state" minister, an environment minister is one level below a "common" minister in terms of hierarchy.

Besides, each related department conducts its own program without the need to consult the environment ministry. There have been so many cases in which the environment has been sacrificed for commercial projects, with the environment ministry powerless to do anything about it. Sarwono said that the next minister must have the power to take corrective actions when it comes to environmental violations.

The trouble is, said one of the participants, that most ministers in the bureaucracy did not have an adequate sense of environmental safety. Development programs are rarely carried out with environment conservation in mind.

The discussion was expanded to the mentality of government officials in the New Order government. Laksamana Sukardi said that it was impossible to gain support for environmental good deeds from the bureaucracy when their own "environment" was not clean.

"That's what happens when the government is run by a bunch of kleptocrats," he joked.

The next question centered on the background of the minister. All speakers agreed that a minister of environment does not have to possess any environment-related degree because, technically, the job is done by his assistants. All is required from a minister is his leadership and coordinating skills, plus dedication, in delegating tasks.

Sarwono gave a thumb's up to his predecessor, Emil Salim. Despite his non-environmental background, Emil was successful in establishing the task force in his newly formed ministry, thanks to his dedicated aides. He worked hard to overcome his shortcomings and, by the end of his service, he was an expert in environmental management. His clean river project (PROKASIH) gained international recognition and has been adopted by the Philippines and many other countries.

Nabiel, who worked for both Emil and Sarwono, recalled his early days with Emil who did not know the meaning of tinja, the Indonesian "technical" term for feces. With time, Emil dedicated himself to learning a lot and he became a respected expert on the environment.

Evaluating the environmental condition in the past, Nabiel came up with several success factors for what he referred to as "The Future Governmental Governance". Emphasis was put on the ability of the next government to restore its institutions that have deteriorated during the dark period of 1997 until now. The other important success factors are the quality of leadership, the ability to obtain political power and the structure and scope of work in the conservation of the environment.

Both the audience and the speakers agreed that power was definitely needed by a minister of environment. "A minister of environment must be the one who has the guts to slap the face of anybody who violates environmental regulation," Siahaan, a participant, said to the applause of the crowd.

Apparently all participants assumed that the next government would be one led by Megawati Soekarnoputri of PDI Perjuangan. Hopes and suggestions were addressed to Laksamana Sukardi. Even Sarwono jokingly referred to the next Cabinet as "Laksamana's Cabinet".

Laksamana handled it all graciously. When a participant suggested that the responsibility to handle environment management be held by the next vice president and that the vice president should have a strong environmental background, he agreed.

"That is a brilliant idea. In the past, our vice presidents had nothing to do apart from their ceremonial duties. Now it is time to get him to do a real job. And, talking about background, I think the proper candidate for that job is Mr. Sarwono," he said, prompting a big hand from the audience.

At the conclusion, several pieces of the mosaic were in place, with some of them worth considering. Generally, the minister must have a sense of shame, environmental consciousness, strong leadership, power, dedication, truthfulness, guts, integrity and, as Laksamana mentioned several times, compassion.

The big question is whether somebody possessing the qualities is available in the "market". And, if there is one, whether he or she would be strong enough to fight the temptation to abuse power. We will have to wait for the formation of the Cabinet to find out who fills the portrait.