ID :
68756
Thu, 07/02/2009 - 20:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/68756
The shortlink copeid
GREENPEACE CALLS FOR SBY'S GREATER COMMITMENT TO FOREST PROTECTION
Jakarta, July 2 (ANTARA) - Greenpeace activists on Thursday rallied outside presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Bravo Media Center to ask presidential hopefuls to take concrete actions to protect Indonesia's remaining forests.
Joko Arif, a spokesman of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the call was voiced because the current administration's policies over the past five years were not effective in protecting forests as an effort to address the impact of climate change.
"We urge presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono within the two to three days to come to include forest protection in his working program if he is reelected in the upcoming poll," he said.
The environmental NGO also displayed a banner with a text reading 'SBY PRESIDENKURANGPEDULIHUTAN.COM' or "SBY PRESIDENTLACKOFATTENTIONTOFOREST.COM' in the protest rally.
"We consider the working program of presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not adequately addressed the forest protection aspect. He even puts the issue of environmental improvement in the 12th rank (of his working program's list)," he said.
Two other presidential candidates have expressed their commitment to forest protection earlier.
"Vice Presidential Candidate Jusuf Kalla recently asked Greenpeace to help realize funds for Indonesia's forest protection, and another presidential candidate, Megawati Soekarnoputri has promised to apply a logging moratorium in the country's forests if elected," the Greenpeace activist said.
Greenpeace also called on the Indonesian people to remind whoever was elected as the next president about his or her promises on environmental issues.
"The presidential election could produce two possibilities, namely opportunity and threat. The opportunity will be if the president-elect could protect the forests which finally could be advantageous to the people. And the threat if the next administration will be too loose to forestry companies, and do nothing to deal with climate change," he said. ***
Joko Arif, a spokesman of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the call was voiced because the current administration's policies over the past five years were not effective in protecting forests as an effort to address the impact of climate change.
"We urge presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono within the two to three days to come to include forest protection in his working program if he is reelected in the upcoming poll," he said.
The environmental NGO also displayed a banner with a text reading 'SBY PRESIDENKURANGPEDULIHUTAN.COM' or "SBY PRESIDENTLACKOFATTENTIONTOFOREST.COM' in the protest rally.
"We consider the working program of presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not adequately addressed the forest protection aspect. He even puts the issue of environmental improvement in the 12th rank (of his working program's list)," he said.
Two other presidential candidates have expressed their commitment to forest protection earlier.
"Vice Presidential Candidate Jusuf Kalla recently asked Greenpeace to help realize funds for Indonesia's forest protection, and another presidential candidate, Megawati Soekarnoputri has promised to apply a logging moratorium in the country's forests if elected," the Greenpeace activist said.
Greenpeace also called on the Indonesian people to remind whoever was elected as the next president about his or her promises on environmental issues.
"The presidential election could produce two possibilities, namely opportunity and threat. The opportunity will be if the president-elect could protect the forests which finally could be advantageous to the people. And the threat if the next administration will be too loose to forestry companies, and do nothing to deal with climate change," he said. ***
