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Losing sight of Indonesia's progress in the smoke and haze(The Jakarta Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) from THE JAKARTA POST -- THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2006 -- PAGE 7 Everyone wants Indonesia to succeed. Nearly a decade since the 1997 economic crisis, and after years of tumultuous change and uncertainty, many hope incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and their team, can deliver strong and equitable growth, stability and a consolidation of democracy Compared to other post-Soeharto governments, the current administration has shown positive signs. The necessary but unpopular decision was taken to scrap fuel subsidies. Growth has returned to a more respectable 5-6 percent this year. The historical agreement with the long troubled province of Aceh recently marked its first anniversary. The USA, China and other major powers pay greater political attention to Jakarta, and Indonesia is again active in ASEAN Yet, despite these improvements, there is a sense of a clicking clock about the Yudhoyono government. Despite the best hopes and wishes, there are signs things are moving too slowly for Indonesia One area of concern is the need for new infrastructure projects Although emphasized early in President Yudhoyono's term with a high level summit in January 2005, and backed by roadshows, indifference and doubt among investors have grown. Many investors have found that conditions on the ground are very different from the rosy picture that politicians promised A second area of concern has been Indonesia's response to the Tsunami that tragically hit at end 2004. Despite shows of political commitment from Jakarta and aid funds flowing in, there has been slow progress in providing housing and other facilities in that province. The more recent Tsunami that hit southern Java in 2006 also revealed slow progress in setting up a warning system since Indonesia received the bulletin 45 minutes before the tsunami struck but made no announcement to the people There is a third and current issue on which Jakarta seems to be moving too slowly. This is on the recurring environmental disaster of the fires and haze pollution Just in April this year, President Yudhoyono himself said he was 'ashamed' that his country exported the menace to its neighbors and ordered officials to take preemptive action. Indonesia's own Antara news agency quoted him has saying, 'Let us declare a war against haze.' Despite the general's command, Indonesian authorities admitted in August that only patchy progress had been made against fire-starters and suggested that no solution could be found for a decade. This is notwithstanding that the problem has been discussed in ASEAN actively since the early 1990s, and especially after the haze of 1997 Time is of course needed to address issues, especially given Indonesia's size and decentralization. But knowing that the President's current term runs out in 2009, a ten year timeline stretches too far away and stretches the current administration's credibility This is especially when we consider the real nature of the haze problem The fires are not a natural disaster like the Tsunami and do not involve large commercial deals like infrastructure projects. They are a result of deliberate man-made actions in forests and on agricultural lands. The Indonesian authorities admit that major plantations and forestry companies are among those who illegally use fires, and that they do so simply because the method is cheaper than using manual clearance As such, the issue can be addressed provided there is political will The speedy and successful prosecution of just a few of these companies for breaking Indonesian law would send a strong signal to the many others and would have positive ripple effects. Perceptions of corruption and an ineffective judiciary would also be addressed A second thing that should be done is to establish achievable interim targets. While Indonesia's scale is daunting, the effort against the haze need not aim to stop fires in all the country, all at once and for all time Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore are primarily affected by haze where there are fires in a relatively limited area of Sumatra and when the seasonal winds blow north. If this limited area could be kept fire free during these few months, this could help fulfill a major part of President Yudhoyono's promise Indonesia can also set a good interim target to ratify the ASEAN treaty to tackle the haze problem. Despite taking a full part in its discussion and negotiation, Indonesia has failed to do so to date. The treaty may not solve the problems immediately, but it will anchor political will among Indonesians, including among its Parliament Fundamentally, Indonesia needs to fully recognize how much the lack of progress is hurting itself. While neighboring states are affected, the haze is primarily an issue about Indonesians. The 1997 fires are estimated to have cost Indonesia almost US$1 billion in short term effects alone. Experts point out that the resources lost from the fires could have provided basic sanitation, water, and sewage services to over 40 million Indonesians -- a large part of the country's rural poor Addressing the fires and haze is therefore not something that the Yudhoyono government should primarily do for the region, but for its own people and economy While Indonesia faces many challenges, the Yudhoyono government must give sufficient priority to the fires and haze pollution. We can all hope for progress in Indonesia. But in the second year of the Yudhoyono presidency, unless political will is shown and action results, optimism may become clouded by the haze, and credibility can go up in flames Simon SC Tay, Singapore The writer is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, a non government think tank Copyright 2006 The Jakarta Post Copyright 2006 The Jakarta Post. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire. |