TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
KPK warns ministry about problematic loopholes
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) urged the Forestry Ministry to close 17 loopholes in its regulatory set-up to anticipate further abuse of forestry licenses and illegal logging
Change Size
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) urged the Forestry Ministry to close 17 loopholes in its regulatory set-up to anticipate further abuse of forestry licenses and illegal logging.
KPK deputy chairman M. Jasin said the loopholes included vague regulations and the absence of one assessment and monitoring institution that oversaw forest management activities in regions, including providing forestry licenses.
“We call on the ministry to revoke the ministerial decree on forest area criteria within six months and the ministerial regulation on forest area status and function within a year,” Jasin said at a press conference Friday after meeting with Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan.
The KPK also advised the ministry to develop a self-assessment mechanism to diagnose regulatory weaknesses.
The commission said the loopholes opened the door to illegal logging, forest conversions and other destructive activities that cost the state Rp 452.4 billion (US$50.2 million).
Jasin said the root of the potential graft traps lay in the 1999 Forestry Law, which sets out an unclear definition of forest areas. The law later spawned vague forestry planning regulations that opened the door to practices of nepotism, including condoning the practice of illegal logging and illegal mining.
“The KPK will seek out violations of forestry licenses, in which corruption and bribery cases occur,” Jasin said, adding that other violations such as illegal logging would be subject to criminal charges.
For example, he added, many forestry licenses in East Kalimantan many were granted by local officials without the ministry’s consent.
The KPK also found four different maps on forest areas and zoning, allowing forestry permit violations.
“We need a single map outlining the state of our forests, including forestry planning, to provide a solid reference to all stakeholders,” Jasin added.
As a cornerstone to deliver systemic improvement, the KPK said, it expected the ministry to take action by Dec. 24.
Zulkifli said the Forestry Ministry would heed the KPK’s recommendations, adding that the many
practices of illegal logging were proof that his office was prone to corruption.
“We have been exploiting our forests for 40 years. We will submit a draft action plan before Dec. 24,” he said, adding that he supported reform to alter the regulations.
The 2002 KPK Law grants the antigraft body’s authority to assess the administrative management system in all state institutions, allowing the KPK to recommend a better system if it finds the system is vulnerable to corruption.
It also instructs the KPK to file a report to the President, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Audit Agency if its recommendations are ignored.
“I agree that we need to bring culprits to court if there are violations of forestry and mining regulations,” Zulkifli said. (ipa)
