Blatantly Disregarding Haze Peril, Riau Allows Farmers To Burn Land

Indonesian forest fires are not expected to let up this year, with a new by-law in the Riau province allowing farmers to burn up to two hectares of their land. The controversial by-law contradicts national law, which bans open burning of forests to clear land except by indigenous people, reports NST.

"The by-law came out in June. It allows the public (farmers) to burn two hectares of land," Bambang Hero Saharjo, a government fire investigator, told the New Straits Times in a telephone interview. Bambang is also the head of the Forest and Land Fire Laboratory at Bogor Agricultural University. "Since the enactment of the law, I have seen an increase in smallholders burning their land."

According to him, the government’s efforts last year to educate the people not to set fires have gone to waste. "I feel very sad about this. We made a lot of effort, teaching people not to burn the land and how to clear the land by chopping down trees," said Bambang. "Whatever gains we have made to reduce forest fires last year have been negated by this by-law. As such, I don’t see fires decreasing this year. The level of fires will remain the same as in 2006," said Bambang.

For the last 20 years, smoke from forest fires in Indonesia has blown across the Straits of Malacca to Malaysia and Singapore, smothering parts of the two countries in a choking haze during the annual dry season. According to Bambang, fires have broken out in the giant Riau province in Sumatra and in central Kalimantan.

***** What can we possibly do to these bastards in Riau? Nothing! Our pemimpin have some influence in Jakarta as long as they play ball with the abang2 there. But as seen in many other cases, the writ of the central government in Indonesia is not absolute and is not always complied with in the provinces and neither does Jakarta have the resources and manpower to enforce its wishes. The haze in previous years is merely confirmation of this.

What about setting things right and reversing the Provincial by-laws by outrightly bribing the corrupt administration in Riau? That might work! After all like the adik2 here, they too I'm sure are more 'amenable' to money power. Well, if any of you smart folks have a bright idea or two, please do let us know.
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