“We need climate justice now”, demand environmental NGOs

Climate organizations have the feeling of not being considered by the various candidates in the presidential election, which was held on Wednesday in the third largest democracy in the world.

Nearly 205 million Indonesians voted on Wednesday February 14 to elect their future president, but also their 580 deputies and their 20,000 regional and local representatives. For the presidential election, voters had to decide between Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a former rival of President Joko Widodo. At the exit of the polls, Prabowo Subianto was well ahead with 55% of the votes, according to a sample of 60% of the ballots, according to two polling institutes. If this trend is confirmed, the ex-general could be elected in the first round. But while the ballots are counted, several environmental NGOs share their doubts about the future of the country.

If the three candidates talked a lot about the economy and employment, the environment and the climate seem to have been erased from the campaign. At the NGO Walhi, the oldest Indonesian environmental association, member of the international Friends of the Earth network, questions persist. “We need climate justice now”, explains the national director of the association Zenzi Suhadi. If the next Indonesian president and his potential environmental policy are not yet known, concerns are well felt. The largest archipelago in the world has already seen some of its islands disappear due to rising water levels.

“Lots of bad policies”

In his office in Jakarta, Zenzi Suhadi met two of the three presidential candidates during official visits. “You know, nine years ago, a presidential candidate came to see us, it was Joko Widodo, but he did not follow all our recommendations”details the national director of Walhi. “It’s sad, because in previous years there were, I think, a lot of bad environmental regulations and policies in Indonesia”he emphasizes.

In another district of the Indonesian capital, the NGO KPA (Consortium for Agrarian Reform) also looked closely at the campaign. The organization fights for a fair agrarian system, that is to say, guaranteeing the balanced distribution of agrarian resources for Indonesians. “Today, we only harvest once a year and we sometimes have less production because of the climate crisis, floods and because there are so many mining concessions in the villages”explains Dewi Kartika, general secretary of the KPA. “Not only are they taking over our livelihoods, they are also putting them at risk”continues the one who wants the future president to take this subject head on.

“Agrarian reform also serves to overcome the ecological crisis, because 68% of Indonesian land is dominated by big companies.”

Dewi Kartika, general secretary of the NGO KPA

at franceinfo

In Indonesia, the third largest democracy in the world, “many farmers are criminalized because they defend their land rights. But they are not only defenders of land rights, they are also defenders of the environment”underlines Dewi Kartika.