Kemenangan Donald Trump dan Kelanjutannya

Kemenangan Donald Trump dan Kelanjutannya Wimar Witoelar  ;   InterMatrix Communication

                                                    KOMPAS, 22 November 2016

                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                           

Dunia dikejutkan oleh hasil pemilihan presiden Amerika Serikat. Bagaimana Donald Trump bisa menang? Ia menonjolkan karakter permusuhan atas dasar agama, etnis, asal negara, sifat-sifat yang sedang ditinggalkan di AS. Amerika modern bersifat pluralis, menerima semua agama termasuk Islam, semua keturunan etnis termasuk orang kulit hitam, Hispanik, dan keturunan Asia. Hillary Clinton yang mewakili nilai-nilai masa kini diperkirakan akan menang dengan tingkat probabilitas mutlak. Beberapa prediksi memperkirakan Hillary akan menang hingga 98 persen. Ternyata, ia dikalahkan mutlak dalam suara elektoral. Sungguh mengherankan. Tetapi sekarang, keheranan itu berangsur-angsur diganti pengertian yang kontroversial. Orang mulai menyadari bahwa di balik reformasi sosial, sebagian besar rakyat tidak bisa meninggalkan nilai-nilai lama. Mereka ingin kembali berkuasa dalam ethnic state yang berintikan orang kulit putih keturunan Eropa, seperti disampaikan kelompok Alternative Right (Alt-Right). Ketika Trump mengumumkan pencalonannya pada tahun 2015, orang menganggapnya lelucon. Hampir semua yakin Trump tidak mungkin bisa menjadi presiden karena latar belakangnya tidak cocok, cara bicaranya kasar, dengan perilaku sangat jauh dari sopan santun politik di Amerika. Namun, Trump memikat orang yang merasa tertinggal oleh kemajuan Amerika Serikat, yang kurang berpendidikan dan tidak punya akses kepada elite politik. Mereka tersalurkan emosinya oleh Trump yang berseru "Let's make America great again," mengembalikan versi mereka. Ketidakpuasan merajalela dengan hilangnya lapangan kerja di tambang batubara, pabrik mobil, dan pabrik baja. West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, dan Pennsylvania merasakan kesengsaraan walaupun di sebagian AS maju dengan penguasaan teknologi tinggi dan globalisasi. Sektor bisnis modern menjadi lahan subur bagi orang berpendidikan tinggi dan imigran dari Korea, Tiongkok, dan India. Teknologi informatika, energi baru, dan perdagangan internasional membuat orang kulit putih merasa tersisih. Jadi, sifat Trump yang menekan kaum minoritas membuatnya simbol perlawanan terhadap elite yang meninggalkan mereka. Mereka merasa Amerika adalah milik mereka dan Trump berpihak kepada mereka. Tumbuhnya keresahan tidak terdeteksi alam pemantauan jajak pendapat. Sepanjang masa kampanye, angka jajak pendapat Hillary tidak pernah turun di bawah Trump. Sementara keinginan untuk dibebaskan dari dominasi elite politik semakin kuat di balik angka jajak pendapat yang lemah. Waktu pemilu, pendukung Trump muncul dan memilih dengan semangat. Kejutan muncul ketika Florida, North Carolina, dan Virginia dimenangi oleh Trump. Disusul Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, dan Wisconsin yang dimenangi Trump walaupun kalah dalam jajak pendapat. Hipotesis yang berkembang adalah bahwa Hillary sudah kalah sebelum kampanye karena ia tidak menghayati keresahan rakyat terhadap elite politik. Kalangan yang tidak puas ini mau menerima Trump walaupun tidak konsisten, tidak benar, berperilaku buruk, menghina perempuan, serta merendahkan agama Islam dan keturunan lain. Hillary keliru dengan kampanye yang merendahkan Trump karena Trump dijagokan sebagai pahlawan rakyat. Orang-orang pilihan Trump Sekarang Trump menyiapkan pemerintahannya. Satu demi satu orang pilihannya dikumpulkan. Orang kuat Gedung Putih masa depan kelihatannya adalah Steve Bannon, pembela ideologi Alt-Right. Orang yang pernah menyatakan niat merombak dasar politik Amerika Serikat. Dari hari ke hari, kita menyaksikan penyusunan staf presiden, kabinet, dan kepala lembaga. Hasil akhirnya akan menentukan Amerika empat tahun selanjutnya, berdampak besar pada Indonesia. Dampaknya besar bagi seluruh dunia dengan penolakan bahaya perubahan iklim. Namun, ucapan Trump selama kampanye belum tentu terlaksana pada waktu memerintah. Trump terkenal inkonsisten dan tidak berpengalaman. Semua bergantung pada orang di sekitarnya, yang akan menentukan karakter pemerintahan Trump. Sejauh ini, pilihan Trump mengundang kontroversi. Steve Bannon yang disebut akan menjadi penasihat strategis utama adalah otak golongan ekstrem kanan yang dikenal dengan Alt-Right. Mereka membakar semangat nasionalisme kulit putih dengan kebencian terhadap etnis dan agama lain. Pada tahap akhir kampanye, Bannon diangkat menjadi CEO kampanye Trump dan mengatur ideologi kampanye dengan cermat. Untuk jabatan Penasihat Keamanan, Trump memilih Jenderal (Purn) Michael Flynn, militer sayap kanan yang pernah diberhentikan Presiden Barack Obama. Jaksa Agung dipercayakan kepada Senator Jeff Sessions yang sangat keras melawan persamaan hak bagi orang kulit hitam selama puluhan tahun. Nama-nama ini memperkuat kekhawatiran orang bahwa AS akan meninggalkan pluralisme dan kemanusiaan yang telah diperjuangkan bersama Partai Republik dan Partai Demokrat. Namun, ada titik terang dengan disebutnya Mitt Romney sebagai calon menteri luar negeri. Romney, calon presiden Partai Republik tahun 2012, tidak akan gegabah mengubah pola aliansi dan perjanjian dagang yang kini mendukung kestabilan dunia. Romney diduga tidak akan meresahkan dunia dengan politik imigrasi yang keras. AS mengharapkan kekuatan warga untuk mempertahankan keragaman dan kemanusiaan yang selama ini menjadi ciri Amerika yang dihormati dunia. Apakah rakyat bisa menyelamatkan negara? Pengalaman Indonesia menunjukkan bahwa rakyat punya kekuatan mandiri untuk bangkit dari keterpurukan. ●

Perjuangan Indonesia Setelah COP 21 Paris Wimar Witoelar  ;  Konsultan Komunikasi Ekonomi Hijau

                                                       KOMPAS, 06 Januari 2016

                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                           

Lingkungan hidup mungkin bukan isu yang paling menarik dan dianggap paling penting di masyarakat, termasuk masyarakat internasional. Media massa pun memiliki kecenderungan lebih tertarik mengulas isu tentang terorisme, pelanggaran hak asasi manusia, krisis ekonomi, korupsi, dan isu-isu lain. Padahal, isu lingkungan hidup tidak kalah penting. Sebab ia berdampak terhadap seluruh sektor, bahkan kelangsungan hidup semua makhluk. Masih segar dalam ingatan masyarakat Indonesia dan dunia, pada awal Oktober sampai November 2015, masalah kebakaran hutan dan lahan gambut di Indonesia yang terjadi begitu besarnya sehingga mengakibatkan berbagai kerugian, baik materi maupun nonmateri. Hal ini membuat kita sadar bahwa salah satu penyebabnya ialah berbagai kesalahan kebijakan yang dibiarkan selama belasan tahun dan pemerintah periode ini mengambil langkah besar untuk menghentikannya. Di tingkat internasional, ada bencana yang jauh lebih hebat lagi yang mengancam tidak hanya satu-dua negara, tetapi seluruh dunia, yaitu perubahan iklim. Perubahan iklim merupakan bencana yang begitu besar hingga dikatakan bisa mengancam kelangsungan hidup umat manusia. Meningkatnya suhu Bumi 2 derajat celsius berarti mencairnya sejumlah besar es di Kutub, yang dapat menenggelamkan banyak pulau dan wilayah-wilayah pantai dunia. Hal ini berarti hilangnya wilayah-wilayah tempat jutaan manusia tinggal, hilangnya keragaman hayati, dan berbagai bencana lain. Komitmen Indonesia Bangsa Indonesia sangat berkomitmen menghadapi perubahan iklim, termasuk dalam Konvensi Kerangka Kerja PBB untuk Perubahan Iklim (UNFCCC) Konferensi Para Pihak (COP) 21 yang diselenggarakan di Paris, akhir tahun lalu. Bahkan, sebelum COP 21, dalam Pertemuan Kepala Negara G20 di Turki, 15 November 2015, Presiden Joko Widodo menyatakan dan mendorong setiap negara memberikan komitmen agar COP 21 berjalan sukses. Presiden Joko Widodo juga telah meminta negara-negara maju memberi contoh dan dukungan, termasuk memobilisasi bantuan pendanaan bagi negara berkembang, yaitu sejumlah 100 miliar dollar AS pada 2020. Sebelum COP 21, Indonesia sudah menegaskan komitmen mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca yang memicu perubahan iklim dalam dokumen resmi Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). Dalam dokumen resmi ini, yang telah diajukan ke UNFCCC COP 21, secara jelas tercantum pengurangan emisi gas rumah kaca Indonesia dari business as usual sebesar 29 persen pada 2030 atau sebesar 41 persen jika dengan bantuan internasional. Posisi Indonesia kembali dikuatkan selama COP 21 berlangsung di Paris. Indonesia memahami adanya berbagai kelompok negara dan kepentingan di COP 21. Perbedaan-perbedaan yang wajar ada tersebut, jika tidak disikapi dengan bijak, bisa menjadi ancaman bagi tercapainya kesepakatan. Itu semua karena Indonesia memosisikan diri menjembatani perbedaan kelompok-kelompok negara dan kepentingan yang ada tersebut. Indonesia menjadi jembatan perbedaan dan menyerukan kelompok-kelompok yang ada agar berkontribusi nyata mencegah kenaikan suhu Bumi mencapai 2 derajat celsius. Indonesia terutama menyeru negara-negara maju dalam aksi menghadapi perubahan iklim dengan memobilisasi pendanaan dan transfer teknologi ramah lingkungan. Penyelamatan lingkungan yang diperjuangkan haruslah dalam kerangka yang tidak menghalangi ekonomi nasional dan kesejahteraan rakyat. Ini juga prinsip yang ditempuh Indonesia ketika berada di panggung COP 21. Ini bukan hanya impian belaka, melainkan memang bisa dilakukan dengan skema-skema ekonomi berkelanjutan. Bukan hanya  bisa menempuh jalan ini, Indonesia yang kaya akan hutan dan laut malahan memiliki potensi tinggi untuk mendapatkan keuntungan ekonomi lebih bagi rakyat kita dalam skema-skema ekonomi berkelanjutan. Dalam forum COP 21 di Paris, Indonesia berhasil menjadi salah satu penerima dana penyelamatan hutan di bawah payung Forest Carbon Partnership Fund. Indonesia juga telah menjalin sejumlah kerja sama bilateral yang menguntungkan berbagai sisi ekonomi Indonesia dengan beberapa negara, antara lain Vietnam, Iran, Filipina, Kolombia, Papua Niugini, Peru, Cile, Belanda, Serbia, Jepang, dan Norwegia. Perjuangan bersama COP 21 adalah peristiwa besar bersama-sama umat manusia dalam mempertahankan kelangsungan hidup. Kehadiran COP 21 diharapkan dapat menjadi forum solidaritas kemanusiaan karena nasib Bumi dalam keadaan krisis. Negara-negara di dunia harus bersatu dalam penanganan perubahan iklim, mengingat kehidupan umat manusia menjadi taruhan. Inilah sikap bangsa Indonesia sebagaimana dikemukakan dalam COP 21. Kita sadari bersama bahwa perjuangan melawan perubahan iklim tidaklah berakhir di COP 21. Pekerjaan rumah bagi Indonesia ke depan tentu sangat banyak.  Satu yang terpenting adalah bahwa Indonesia mesti menindaklanjuti kesepakatan tersebut dengan mengomunikasikan dan menyosialisasikan kepada publik. Hal itu diperlukan agar kebijakan dan program dapat mencapai sasaran nasional dan global dalam menghadapi perubahan iklim. Selanjutnya, Indonesia tetap harus berada di garis terdepan dalam perjuangan melawan perubahan iklim. Dan, kita berharap bahwa negara-negara lain di dunia terinspirasi dan bersatu kokoh melawan perubahan iklim secara bersama-sama. ●

Masyarakat Adat dan Perubahan Iklim Wimar Witoelar  ;   Konsultan Komunikasi Ekonomi Hijau

                                                       KOMPAS, 24 Agustus 2015      

                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                           

Pada 9 Agustus 2015, Hari Internasional Masyarakat Adat Sedunia diselenggarakan oleh Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara di Bali bersamaan dengan Festival Nusantara. Pada saat yang bersamaan, kita menerima kabar baik mengenai pembentukan Satuan Tugas Masyarakat Adat. Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan (LHK) Siti Nurbaya saat menyampaikan sambutan mewakili Presiden Joko Widodo dalam perayaan Hari Internasional Masyarakat Adat Sedunia (HIMAS) mengutarakan bahwa Presiden tetap berkomitmen membentuk Satgas Masyarakat Adat sebagai upaya menjembatani rekonsiliasi antara negara dan masyarakat adat. Pemerintahan Jokowi sedang mencari formulasi yang tepat untuk pembentukan Satgas. Satgas masyarakat adat Jika HIMAS merupakan peristiwa penting tahunan, maka pembentukan Satgas merupakan titik balik demi perbaikan perkembangan masyarakat adat di Indonesia yang akan mengubah peta masyarakat Indonesia. Pembentukan Satgas akan membuka lebar jalan ke arah pembebasan masyarakat adat Indonesia dari marjinalisasi. Masyarakat adat menginginkan pembentukan Satgas secepatnya. Jika masih belum terbentuk juga, kehidupan masyarakat adat akan terus mengalami kriminalisasi. Hal itu juga yang disuarakan Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples' Rights dari Persatuan Bangsa-Bangsa Victoria Tauli-Carpuz pada perayaan HIMAS. Pembentukan Satgas Masyarakat Adat adalah langkah pertama untuk mendorong kebijakan yang berpihak kepada masyarakat adat. Bagi Indonesia, masyarakat adat  sangat penting dalam upaya menurunkan emisi karbon karena masyarakat adat sudah terbukti berperan penting menjaga kelestarian hutan. Menderita Sejak Indonesia merdeka dan tentunya sebelumnya, masyarakat adat menderita pelanggaran hak asasi, dan hak konstitusi. Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) masih berjuang memperoleh pengakuan penuh dari pemerintah. Kehadiran AMAN yang tegar akan secara langsung memperkuat usaha Indonesia untuk menjaga kelestarian hutan dan menjadikannya faktor perjuangan untuk mengurangi dampak perubahan iklim. Ekonomi hijau muncul dari masyarakat adat bukan sebagai konsep baru, melainkan sebagai gaya hidup yang dijalankan dari generasi ke generasi. Jika negara Indonesia dapat membekali AMAN dengan wibawa yang wajar dalam menghadapi COP 21 di Paris, dapat dikatakan Indonesia akan masuk dalam negara-negara peringkat pertama yang melawan perubahan iklim. Pemenuhan hak-hak masyarakat adat sebenarnya bukan hanya masalah mereka saja karena merupakan kunci pelestarian hutan Indonesia dan bagian penting bagi masyarakat dunia dalam menghadapi perubahan iklim. Hutan-hutan dan juga lahan-lahan gambut merupakan penyimpan cadangan karbon yang besar. Ini dirusak oleh berbagai deforestasi dan degradasi hutan yang kemudian mengeluarkan cadangan karbon ke udara. Perusakan-perusakan hutan tersebut selama ini banyak dilakukan oleh berbagai industri kehutanan raksasa. Hutan digunduli untuk dijadikan perkebunan tanaman homogen yang memiliki nilai ekspor tinggi, tetapi merusak ekosistem hutan asli dan merusak cadangan karbon yang ada. Hutan hak adat Perusakan hutan jugalah yang mencederai hak-hak dan kehidupan masyarakat adat di Indonesia. Mereka telah bergenerasi hidup di hutan-hutan yang mereka warisi dari nenek moyang mereka. Mereka hidup secara harmonis berdampingan dengan ekologi hutan, memanfaatkan hasil-hasil hutan tanpa merusak keberlanjutannya. Hutan-hutan yang menjadi hak-hak mereka inilah yang kemudian dirampas sehingga mereka kehilangan tempat tinggal dan sumber pemenuhan kebutuhan sehari-hari mereka. Presiden telah melakukan terobosan penting ketika bersedia menemui AMAN dan mendukung upaya-upaya AMAN melindungi masyarakat adat dan memenuhi hak-hak mereka. Ia juga menyatakan ingin bersama-sama masyarakat adat mengelola republik ini karena banyak sumber ekonomi yang berkelanjutan, seperti kawasan hutan, pesisir pantai, dan wilayah perbatasan, merupakan kawasan masyarakat adat. Kerja sama Keserasian pemerintah dan masyarakat adat yang telah dimulai Presiden dan AMAN juga sebenarnya merupakan modal kuat Indonesia berdiskusi dengan negara-negara lain di forum internasional. Kebersamaan pemerintah dengan masyarakat adat dalam menjaga hutan Indonesia merupakan kontribusi penting Indonesia sebagai negara dengan hutan tropis terbesar ketiga dunia. Inilah yang ingin didengar dan akan diapresiasi masyarakat dunia jika ada pernyataan terbuka dalam pertemuan lingkungan hidup global COP 21 di Paris pada akhir tahun ini. Menurut Menteri Siti Nurbaya, kini tidak boleh lagi ada yang meragukan kemauan politik presiden dalam memperjuangkan kedudukan masyarakat adat.  ●

Swift action on forest fires by President Jokowi Wimar Witoelar  ;   A spokesman for the late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid

JAKARTA POST,  11 Desember 2014

                                                                                                                       

On Nov. 27, in the Riau Islands province, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo studied the dried peatland and man-made canals that locals were building to prevent the further drainage of precious water in the peat. He held impromptu talks with victims of peat-based forest fires. The President made some announcements off the cuff. Obviously he had thought about the issues for some time. President Jokowi said plantation permits had to be reviewed if they were indeed destroying the ecosystem; they would have to be terminated. “We must not allow our tropical rainforests to disappear because of monoculture plantations like oil palm,” he said. In his remarks in Sungai Tohor, the President described the community-built canal dams as very good and that they must be made permanent. He further said it was best for peatland to be given to the community to be managed for sago. Community management was usually environmentally friendly, while companies tended to turn forests into monocultures such as acacia and oil palm, Jokowi said. “Canal blocking will keep peatland areas wet and prevent fires. It is important to keep the canal blocking permanently as in the idea which has been raised the public.” Meanwhile, Riau University Disaster Studies Center director Haris Gunawan said forest-fire prevention through peatland conservation in Riau was part of an effort to resolve the prolonged haze issue. There are four policy points that Jokowi highlighted after the Sungai Tohor visit: enforcement of the law related to the Compliance Audit findings on 17 corporate transgressors in the peatland of Riau, total protection of the peatland, strengthening and extension of the moratorium on permits, accelerate implementation of the one map policy that will force a consensus on territorial issues. In a meeting before the site visit, President Jokowi responded to lengthy technical presentations with characteristic clarity. “We all know the problem. Everybody knows the problem. Experts, government, law enforcers, corporations know the problem. It all boils down to one question: Do we have the will? Are we serious? I am. I am very serious. “Forest fires have been ravaging Riau province for 17 years. That, Jokowi says, means deliberate neglect. The U-turn came swiftly. The president went to Sungai Tohor on Nov. 27. Less than a month before on Oct. 28, a group of citizens issued a petition inviting Jokowi to visit victims of peatland fires there. The State Secretariat and the Environment and Forestry Ministry were approached with an invitation to President Jokowi to visit an area besieged by fire and haze, representing the crisis all over Indonesian forests. The invitation came with a plan and latest data. The minister brought the message to the President immediately. Jokowi confirmed he had received reports from all quarters, including the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, relevant ministries and regional administrations as well as conservation institutions, which said that all were familiar with the issue. Hence there was no hesitation in the President’s crack down on the rampant deforestation and peatland destruction that has made the nation the world’s third-largest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide. The measures against the draining and burning of peatland will mitigate forest fires that have gone unabated for 17 years, pumping smoke across the entire region. Make no mistake. There is no objection to palm-oil products. And we all appreciate the value of palm oil to our exports, but there are serious objection to the wanton destruction of forests and peatland for corporate profits. Sustainable palm oil practices will later lead to a collision course between the industry and the environment. Indonesia suffers more deforestation than any other country, including Congo and Brazil. Most of the deforestation in Indonesia was illegal, since the days of illegal logging and now with most being used for palm oil and pulp. A drastic step such as this will invite opposition and nitpicking. People say bad people have strong backing from local law enforcers and government officials. Fear not, says Jokowi. Good people have the backing of the President. The impromptu visit of President Jokowi jumpstarts sorely needed reforms in the forestry sector. But more than that, it made the communities in Sungai Tohor feel good with fresh hope for the future. Here at last is a president who cares; a president who translates words into action. The proof of the promise is here, if we let ourselves look without cynicism. ●

If not us, then who? Wimar Witoelar  ;   The writer, former presidential spokesman and founder chairman of InterMatrix Communications, has done extensive work in communications on forest issues and climate change

JAKARTA POST, 19 September 2014

                                                                                                                       

                                                      

It starts with a drone taking off to fly over Setulang in Malinau regency in the new province of North Kalimantan. Heady aerial shots over thick tropical forests follow, but there is a feeling that this is more than a scenic ride. This is how the video Dayaks and Drones begins. Soon the context becomes clear. This is the spine of a mapmaking process based on principles of participatory mapping — an age-old technique, for how can maps be made if not through public participation? Yet in 69 years of Indonesian independence the public has not been much involved in making public maps. The weakness of civil society has yielded to centralized political powers that see maps as being essential tools for territorial control. Whether it is for objectives of political control, or for subtler strategic purposes to allocate the largesse of the land, the powers behind each government have found it convenient to exclude the wider public from mapmaking. They interpret map-making as a technical top-down process better left out of the hands of common people. This is changing in a civil society now invigorated by the prospect of public involvement in the policy process. Numerous civil society organizations are now engaging common people in map-making. Now people work together, from Dayak communities in Kalimantan to activists and experts using the latest technology. Drones are now put to use in mapping tasks to seek a One-Map Indonesia. The area shown in the video is Setulang village in Malinau. Maps are essential in the fight against foreign degradation. The forest degradation crisis is not Indonesia’s problem alone. It is a global issue. The role of indigenous peoples is a global issue. That is the reason the world will cast its focus on New York for the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) on Sept. 22 to 23. Drones and Dayaks is placed in a specifically Indonesian context, but the ideas are inspiring globally. The film will be presented during the WCIP and successive events around the world. It is part of a worldwide campaign for community rights and care of carbon-rich forests and the idea that they go hand-in-hand with development policies. Innovative drone GPS technology, community engagement, local government support and eco-tourism are helping the Setulang people thrive. Indigenous people who have lived for generations in the rain forests of the Indonesian islands have taken care of the forests as true stakeholders. The existing Forestry Ministry maps are scaled 1:250,000 and do not show the villages where people live. Drone technology can dramatically enhance the scale of maps, to protect indigenous lands from being divided as company concessions. This year’s political development in Indonesia presents a historic turning point for the country’s indigenous peoples: in May last year, the Constitutional Court delivered a historic ruling on the 1999 Forestry Law and effectively voided the state’s control of customary forests in Indonesia. However, implementation of the ruling has lagged and indigenous land is still very much at the mercy of the Forestry Ministry, which officially controls 75 percent of Indonesia’s forests, including some small islands. Indigenous society leader Abdon Nababan says: “If we are expecting Indonesia to be a major contributor to solving climate change issues, then the international community must help Indonesia accelerate the recognition and protection of the indigenous peoples, save the best forests, protect areas that belong to indigenous peoples and return their rights.” Along with Brazil and Congo, Indonesia proudly owns some of the largest and most biologically diverse tropical forests in the world. Tens of millions of Indonesians depend on these forests for their livelihoods, whether gathering forest products or working in modern wood-based industries. The flora and fauna in Indonesian forests are unmatched in the world. Even today, Indonesia’s forests constantly display new species. Forests play a major role in stemming the effects of climate change by absorbing more than 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. The video Dayaks and Drones  explores a key element of the climate crisis by asking a very basic question: who is protecting our forests? Within these forests live traditional and indigenous people who have a deep spiritual connection to and understanding of their ancestral homes. This connection is being threatened by a resource-hungry modern world. As a result, the people who call the forest their home are now engaged in a constant and frequently violent struggle. Dayaks and Drones communicates first-hand the unique personal stories of an inconspicuous yet vital people, as they battle to protect their lives, their cultures and our forests. Protecting our planet is not only about politics and policies, it’s about people taking ownership and taking action, no matter how small. If not us, then who? ●

The ‘Jokowi effect’ : No breakthrough in party oligarchy

The ‘Jokowi effect’ : No breakthrough in party oligarchy Wimar Witoelar  ;   A spokesman for the late Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who was president of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001

JAKARTA POST, 11 April 2014

                                      

                                                                                         

                                                             

I was wrong. The media was wrong. The polls were wrong. There was no “Jokowi effect”. Or maybe there was one, but it was not strong enough to break the stranglehold that Indonesia’s party oligarchies have on the electorate. The quick counts show the  Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with a lukewarm share of less than 20 percent of the vote. It is still higher than the others and enough to claim the number-one ranking, but not qualitatively different from Golkar or Gerindra, or even the Democratic Party. It is an anticlimax following the frenzy that seemed to be building around the emergence of Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as the presidential candidate of Megawati Soekarnoputri’s party. Predictions that the PDI-P would capture 35 percent or more of the vote in the legislative election proved to be grossly optimistic. There is no doubt that Jokowi was a percentage booster for the PDI-P, but that shows two things. First, the PDI-P must be in dire straits to have achieved such mediocre results, which means it would do really poorly without Jokowi. The second thing is that Jokowi would not necessarily win against Gerindra’s Prabowo Subianto, whose weakness lies in his public morality but not in his perseverance and intelligence. Jokowi backers might have the morality but not the will to win, as they are not investing in the Jokowi candidacy by voting for the party that will launch him.  But my friend A, a keen political observer, points out that for her, the PDI-P’s debacle is a blessing in disguise. She is in fact relieved that the PDI-P got a modest 20 percent and not a thumping 35 percent, because it confirms her view that Indonesian politics will not be reformed by just a single individual but by elimination of the political oligarchies. Jokowi gives hope to the Indonesian public, but the PDI-P is the same old story of a party failing to modernize, clinging to an archaic leadership exemplified by subservience to Ibu Megawati. As senior journalist Goenawan Mohamad pointed out in his tweet, whether or not there is a “Jokowi effect”, he is more popular than his political party. And that, in my friend’s view, is good because we need to reject the party’s adherence to tired old politics. Now Jokowi has the choice to either break loose from Megawati’s control to rescue the PDI-P from oblivion or remain a party tool. The PDI-P has to play the coalition game now, bringing back business-as-usual as the mode of political power building. It is not the party of the people and will remain the party of blind loyalists unless it cuts Jokowi loose and encourages him to mobilize the good people of the land, most of whom are not PDI-P members. They must allow Jokowi to indicate who he will select as vice president, as his cabinet and his advisers. More than 20 percent of the vote awaits him if he is successful in building an off-party support base. Indonesia is the world’s third-largest democracy and the electoral mechanism is good. The voters have to catch up by providing content for the structure. It is ironic that in a democracy created by a reform-minded public, the presidential candidates — except for Jokowi — are people responsible for the human-rights atrocities and rampant corruption that have caused Indonesia to remain hostage to the politics of the Soeharto era.  Ours is a good democracy with poor voter promotion of the issues and of the public crimes to be avoided. We still make the wrong choices between good and bad. In 2013 some significant civil society leaders resolved to shed their political apathy. Their NGOs have been doing excellent work through the years but their hard work is neutralized by the stranglehold of politicians-cum-businessmen who protect their behavior ravaging Indonesia’s natural resources, with misguided populist policies and outright greed. Not to mention a total lack of responsibility for human-rights violations committed in the past and present. These dedicated activists are more intelligent than the legislators but they have not been applying their energy to political reform. Now they are producing important products like the bersih2014.net website, a handy guide for picking clean legislative candidates. Efforts like this are very positive, but it may be too little, too late. Calls for investigations into human-rights violations in the 1998 May riots, the violence of the Trisakti and Semanggi incidents and the assassination of human-rights activists are countered by the full defense of the New Order forces. Many of the youth today ignore human-rights violations and state corruption. The quick-count results are a humiliation. It is sad to have violators of human rights and blatant power manipulators performing equally as strongly as a fresh popular leader. It demonstrates a failure to translate Jokowi’s popularity into electoral votes. It is not too late for remedial action but time is running out. The hopeful public must rescue Jokowi from the weight of the PDI-P position and elevate him to become a leader of the people, not a party mascot donated by Megawati. To the extent that he can make himself credible as an independent leader, he will be able to leave the PDI-P to their own devices as he responds to the needs of the broad public. ●

Independence and voter confidence  Wimar Witoelar  ;   Spokesman for former Indonesian president Abdurrahman  “Gus Dur”  Wahid

JAKARTA POST,  21 Februari 2014

                                                                                         

                                                                                                                       

The article “Governor Jokowi: A choice, not an echo” published on Feb. 6 in The Jakarta Post, has attracted positive and negative attention. As in all democratic propositions, opinion must be divided. Some valid reactions to a Jokowi presidential candidacy are based on the concern that it would be difficult to get off the ground as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matriarch, Megawati Soekarnoputri, is not necessarily open to the idea unless she is assured control of the party ticket by having her proxy as a running mate. The article is not really about Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, but about the need for drastic action on climate change, which requires a paradigm shift away from politics as usual. It is about citizens making a choice for concerted action. We invite political engagement — voting — to meet the crucial challenges of this and the next generation. The fundamental problem today is greed, exemplified by the two leading candidates-to-be for the presidency. Politics is an instrument of greed, but can also be an instrument of reform. The 2014 election year is an excellent opportunity for citizens to exercise a choice. Do we want to risk a return to strong state power, human rights abuses and the continuation of corruption? Or will voters opt for a fresh start with fresh candidates. At this moment Jokowi is apparently the only person who could effectively generate enough electoral power to dislodge the grip that corruption has on the political system. Voters despair to such a degree that they find hope in the most unlikeliest of people to run for seats in the House of Representatives. The opportunity to elect Jokowi brings important challenges. An important consideration is what would happen should Jokowi leave the gubernatorial position he assumed in October 2012. By law, his deputy Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama would automatically ascend to the governor position. The deputy governor position would then be vacant until the next election in 2017. Some people see that as a problem, while others see it as a political opportunity. It would be a great opportunity for the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, which officially backs Ahok. It is a matter of concern that recently Ahok staged widely publicized visits to Gerinda chief patron Prabowo Subianto’s home and had a long talk followed by a public declaration of mutual loyalty. If the impression strengthens that Ahok is a loyalist of Prabowo, it would cause a serious weakening of credibility. Ahok has a public image based on action, independence and loyalty to the people. A loss of perceived independence would mean a loss of credibility. Reminding people that Ahok is not his own man is not necessarily helpful to Ahok’s credentials as a successor to Jokowi. It would also be damaging to a Jokowi presidential nomination as it would contribute to a loss of independence. Jokowi and Ahok contested the Jakarta election under the banners of the PDI-P and Gerindra and eventually beat the incumbent governor who was nominated by the ruling party and supported by the rest of political parties represented in the City Council in the runoff. The independence and credibility of the two most popular public officials in Jakarta is paramount. They must take care not to lose public support by exposing their dependence on political party bosses. People are voting against greed, human rights abuses and corruption. We need a clean slate to deal with the pressing problems of climate change. It will not be a campaign for Jokowi but a campaign against cynical politicians. It will be a rejection of unpalatable choices, rather than the coronation of the brightest in the land. ●