Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 09;
JAKARTA: Presidential hopefuls vying for Indonesia's top job next week are ignoring the environment, despite dire threats from global warming and deforestation, environmental group Greenpeace has said.
None of the three candidates has made the environment a priority in their campaigns or offered any detailed policies on issues such as deforestation or carbon emissions, Greenpeace climate campaigner Arif Fiyanto said.
"Up to now we haven't seen anything concrete from the three pairs of candidates," Fiyanto said.
Rampant deforestation fuelled by corruption and poor law enforcement has made Indonesia the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind the United States and China.
Greenpeace activists said the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had paid little more than pay lip service to environmental problems over its five years in power.
"Environmental problems aren't sexy in the election, indeed ... we've never had a government that has paid attention to the environment," forest campaigner Joko Arif said.
"They're talking about poverty, they're talking about benefits for the community, but if they don't talk about environmental problems it's complete (rubbish)," he added.
Yudhoyono is the strong favourite to win the July 8 poll, which will pit him against ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri and current Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Megawati has agreed to a Greenpeace demand for a moratorium on deforestation, but has also promised to open millions of hectares of land for farming and biofuel plantations, Arif said.
Indonesia has been a key advocate of a scheme to get big polluters in rich countries to pay for forest conservation in developing countries.
But Greenpeace fears the plan could trigger a collapse in global carbon prices and undermine broader efforts to fight climate change.
- AFP/ir
Presidential hopefuls losing green points
Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post 1 Jul 09;
Greenpeace Indonesia on Sunday slammed presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono for their apparent lack of concern for environmental issues in their campaign agenda.
Greenpeace forest campaigner for Southeast Asia Joko Arif said Yudhoyono, as the incumbent President, should know better, especially with Forestry Minister M.S. Ka'ban as one of his supporters.
"Unfortunately Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono have put environmental issues 12th among 15 points in their agenda, with a simple line *environmental restoration'," Joko said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.
Their stance became more apparent given that the two other hopeful pairs - Megawati Sukarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto and Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto - had already mentioned environmental issues in their campaigns.
During her campaign tour of Palangkaraya, Kalimantan, Megawati promised to implement a moratorium on forestry if elected, Arif said.
Megawati also committed to avoiding the use of nuclear energy, while Kalla promised to reject plans for a nuclear reactor in Indonesia, he added.
"We appreciate these plans. However, we are asking for a thorough and solid working plan."
Greenpeace Indonesia also noted that despite pointing out environmental issues, Megawati and Kalla also had flaws in their campaigns.
Megawati once promised to provide two hectares of land for agricultural goods and four hectares for plantations to provide raw materials for biodiesel production, but failed to elaborate on how she would obtain the land.
Meanwhile, Kalla once stated he would not introduce a moratorium (on forest clearing) because Indonesia was no longer facing forest exploitation.
Kalla also promised to boost Indonesia's production of coal, an environmentally damaging resource, to support power plants.
Arif also said he was disappointed that the General Elections Commission (KPU), which organized the official public debates for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, had neglected to include environmental issues in its topics for discussion.
"Considering that we are already facing impacts of climate change, it is important to protect our environment, especially forests.
"Such efforts need strong political will from leaders.
"Therefore, whoever the president will be, we need a visionary person - someone who not only cares about what happens in the next five years, but also for the next generation," he added.
Greenpeace Indonesia organized a mock debate on Sunday, on environmental issues, presenting six campaigners with masks picturing Megawati, Prabowo, Yudhoyono, Boediono, Kalla and Wiranto.
