Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent visit to Aceh Tamiang on December 12 was marked by an apology to the public regarding the electricity network which has yet to be restored.
For the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) however, this apology would be much more meaningful and valuable if it was immediately followed by concrete action: The President must lead firm law enforcement against corporations proven to have contributed to the massive floods that hit Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra two weeks ago.
The President's moral message about the importance of protecting the environment and the prohibition on cutting down trees carelessly should not only be aimed at the people.
Walhi emphasised that this message is also relevant and should be urgently directed at the president's assistants in the cabinet, especially the Minister of Forestry, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister/National Land Agency Chief (ATR/BPN), who have been seen as perpetuating the rate of deforestation and environmental damage through the issuance of permits.
Not only that, Walhi's strong criticisms also highlighted several Red and White Cabinet Ministers who are known to have links to extractive businesses, a potential conflict of interest that needs to be watched out for.
'Half-hearted' law enforcement
Uli Arta Siagian, the head of Walhi's National Executive Campaign Division, believes that so far the partial law enforcement measures taken by the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Forestry and the National Police are still far from satisfactory.
"Existing law enforcement is still partial. It has not fully targeted indications of violations and criminal acts committed by various companies in the three affected provinces", said Siagian.
Even though there has been the freezing of environmental approvals, the sealing off and investigations of several companies, the legal subjects of land rights holders (PHAT) and illegal activities, the impact is still limited. For example, this action has only just become clear in North Sumatra, while in Aceh and West Sumatra, similar legal efforts remain silent.
Comprehensive permit evaluation, revocation of expired permits
Walhi is asking President Prabowo to act more seriously and firmly. "The law enforcement process must not be just a gimmick. A thorough and open evaluation of permits must be carried out immediately", added Siagian.
According to Walhi, the key to getting out of this environmental crisis is the revocation of environmentally damaging business permits.
"All permits that clearly damage the environment and have a negative impact on society must be revoked immediately. Imposing administrative sanctions targeting the revocation of business permits is the key to escaping this crisis condition", stressed Siagian.
Furthermore, Walhi also demanded that the president ensure that ministers act quickly to:
1. Maximise corporate responsibility for environmental restoration.
2. Increase the permit moratorium policy to a policy of permanently stopping the issuance of new permits.
Fighting environmental economic crimes seriously
Apart from corporations, Walhi's focus was sharply directed at law enforcement in the field. The president was asked to ask the national police chief (Kapolda) to evaluate all regional police chiefs (Kapolres) and police chiefs in affected areas where there are indicates they have allowed illegal activities in forest and watersheds areas (DAS).
Importantly, law enforcement against these illegal activities must not stop with field actors alone. Walhi is urging law enforcement officials to target economic crimes in the form of implementing the provisions of the Money Laundering Law (TPPU). Those who obtain the main profits from the illegal business chain must also be held accountable.
Siagian emphasised that the president's role in leading the palm oil and mining permit evaluation process and law enforcement is very urgent. "If there is a minister who is not serious or has not even taken any action, it means that there is an indication that they are not serious about ensuring that similar incidents do not happen again" concluded Siagian.
Up until now, the public has not heard about law enforcement efforts or corrective actions taken by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Minister of ATR/BPN. This is considered strange considering that Walhi's findings show that several permits for palm oil plantations and the mining sector, both inside and outside of forest areas, have had a major contribution on reducing the environment's capacity.
The president's apology is indeed a good thing, but it must be immediately followed by firmness in leading the evaluation and law enforcement process for licensing and illegal activities that damage the environment. If not, the flood tragedy in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra will be repeated, even spreading to other parts of Indonesia.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Permintaan Maaf Saja Tak Cukup! WALHI Desak Presiden Prabowo Pimpin Penegakan Hukum Holistik atas Bencana Lingkungan".]
