INDONESIA: Megawati Slams Fruitless Forest Regreening Ceremonies
Copyright 2001 Antara - The Indonesian National News Agency
October 25, 2001
Jakarta, Oct 25 (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has criticized the myriad of forest regreening ceremonies which have ended in failure.
"I have been invited to plant a tree, then water it. However, one year later, it dies," she said in her address to open the Indonesian Forest Congress here Thursday.
She pointed out that regreening projects which cost a lot of money, usually from foreign assistance, often end in failure.
"When I was still a member of the House of Representatives in the past in charge of forestry affairs, we often heard -- but often pretended not to hear -- such discrepancies in this field during the era of former President Soeharto's dictatorial regime," she said to the applause of the audience.
She thus asked those in charge of forestry affairs to be serious in carrying out regreening efforts.
"Do not only produce recommendations already recommended by the government," she said.
On the occasion, which was also attended by Forestry Minister Mohammad Prakosa and his predecessor Nur Mahmudi Ismail, Megawati reminded that forest regreening programs play a key role in preventing land from turning into deserts.