Who has the right stuff to manage the environment?

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JAKARTA (JP): Environmental protection sounds like an outdated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.