SHARIA LAW AND THE GREENS

What is going on with the Green NGO's in Indonesia? Unspun is still awaiting a response from a discredited NGO after a rather aptly titled post "WALHI slutting around with Islamic groups?".

As UNSPUN states it's all to do with credibility and it would appear that Greenomics has fallen into the same sad peat pit.

The latest in "green" environmental groups happily discrediting themselves is the NGO Greenomics. Greenomics Executive Director, Elfian Effendi was reported yesterday (Jakarta Post, extract of article at end of this post) as demanding an apology from the Aceh BBR chief Kuntoro for criticising the implementation of Sharia Law in the province.

Now thought I, that's unusual! Greenomics is an environmental group, who solicited donations and support on that basis. So I looked a bit further into the information I had at hand, but couldn't find any extra bits that said "and ardent supporters of Sharia Law". Mmmm A misrepresentation of the truth..or even..........?

Now a quick look at the Greenomics website was in order, lo and behold there is a "mission statement" of sorts and quite a noble one at that:

"Greenomics Indonesia is a policy development institute that is devoted to introducing innovative empirical and field-based economic, financial and policy approaches for the purpose of supporting a move towards good natural resources governance"

Checking ..checking...nope nothing about Sharia Law yet..oh well maybe I have just missed it in the fine print?

Now I don't think that a random supporter of Greenomics and "good natural resources governance" would automatically assume she/he has just become supporter of Sharia Law. It is more than presumptuous for good ol Elfian to speak out like that from his position as the Greenomics executive director. Of course, as a director of anything, your personal views are your own. However, in the spirit of transparency and responsibility so often demanded by various NGO's perhaps a little professionalism would go a long way.

This hi-jacking of an environmental platform into a religious one is a real shame and seemingly increasingly common. "Greenomics" appear to be doing some good and much needed work but you can bet (actually you can't "bet" if you are reading this in a Sharia Law province or you will get a whipping!) this will cost them. It also raises the question of funding. It would be interesting to see how they are funded as (I can't seem to find much on their website).




So until Greenomics clarifies their position its only fair to ask:

Are Greenomics supporters of this?




or this???...




By the way, BBR Chief was right (for once) of course foreign investors and visitors are wary of Sharia Law, by its very nature, it is ill-defined, randomly applied and brutal.


EXTRACT FROM THE POST

BRR sharia comment slammed
National News - September 24, 2007


Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An Aceh-linked organization that advocates for environmental issues demanded that the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) apologize for implicitly blaming the slow reconstruction work on sharia in Aceh province.

Greenomics Indonesia was responding to the statement of BRR chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who on a visit to The Jakarta Post on Thursday said that the implementation of sharia had "hindered" the development programs in the province, which enjoys special autonomy.

"Kuntoro's statement on sharia is intolerable and has offended Acehnese people's religious beliefs. He must withdraw it and make an apology to the Acehnese," Greenomics executive director Elfian Effendi told the Post over the weekend.

Nuclear NGO's

NGO's serve a real need but unfortunately a large number of NGO's seem to think the principles of accountability and transparency they demand from others does not apply to them. An abject failure to realise that one bad act can ruin years of good work has compromised a number of NGO's to the stage where they a little more than fronts for political and corperate thugs.

Unspun has a number of posts and articles (search for WALHI) on this and other issues. Perhaps aptly should be titled "Where's WALHI as they seem to have little to say about their own internal practices.

The relative ease of which allegations are made, careers ruined and the selective nature of environmental and other protests are made should be a concern for any reasonable person (Newmont vs Lapindo anyone).

More importantly (I am not singling out any particular sleazy mob here) it is common practice to engage "rent a mob" under an environmental, nationalist or whatever umbrella to force more favourable company take-overs. Of course, once the share price has been driven down, the environmental or other issues just fade away.

There is an interesting article here about the control regulation of various NGO's (both environmental and religious). Something has to be done in Indonesia to restrict the damage they do with their secret and unaccountable agendas.

Some excerpts of the article below for your enjoyment..

"The Trade Practices Act has long recognised that there is a clear line between a business or a union criticising a corporation and organising with others to harm that corporation or prevent it from competing. It’s similar to religious vilification laws. I can say I think Christianity is wrong, even evil. But I can’t organise with others to hurt Christians. So in future, NGOs can speak out all they want but if they cross the line by using business blackmail, they like other extortionists, will be zapped by the new laws. (WALHI would find this kind of law worth a lot of study)

For some time, the Australian Taxation Office has been pursuing a related path. It has been cracking down on politicians dressed up as charities. An ATO probe has been cross-checking Australian Electoral Commission records on political donations against the names of tax-deductible bodies. The rule is simple. If a charity spends most of its time politicking, then it’s not a charity. (Gee wouldn't that sit MUI on their arse in Indonesia)

Some NGOs have long operated in a nether world of tax scamming and lack of accountability. Whilst always the first to proclaim their virtues and the vices of others, applying the blow torch (even on very low heat) to them produces screams of indignation."

All of the above...TOO BLOODY TRUE!

Of course, these is any number of real environmental issues in Indonesia that need pursuing, for instance:


INDONESIA – Agreement on nuclear plans dated 28 Aug 07

Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co (KHNP) have signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia's PT Medco Energi Internasional (Why does this name ring a bell..clear as mud?) to start implementing the country's nuclear plans.

This will involve construction of two standard 1000 MWe OPR-1000 units from KHNP at a cost of US$3 billion.

The agreement was part of a wider energy collaboration. Earlier plans were to call for tenders for these Muria units in 2008.

- News sourced from Australian Uranium Association Weekly News Digest"

Three Billion USD!!!!!!!!!.. What kind of drugs are these idiots on and where's WALHI??

Three Billion from a nation where you cannot throw a stick in the ground without hitting oil/gas or coal!!..

Here's a bizarre idea for discussion:

Instead of syphoning off billions in royalties and taxes to build yet another obscene palace in Jakarta or Singapore. How about a contract with a provision for the building and running of a non-nuclear power station? Ok, just kidding..We know why, its easier to steal cash, power stations are hard to fit into a brown paper bag.

That said, its a disgrace that a nation who exports millions of tonnes of coal and and gas every single year cannot provide a semblance of reliable domestic power to its own people.

They say these nuke poisoning plants will be up and running by 2014, so the stump still has a couple of years before its time to move upwind of Indonesia. Fortunately the nuke stations will have little impact on the native jungles in 2014 as it is unlikely there will any left by then, just "glow in the dark" people

LAZY NGO'S

Been “jalan jalan lagi” but strangely that had little effect on the world. The world didn’t stop and wait for me to get back.

I see the Newmont trial is over and Mr. Ness and the company has been acquitted of pollution and environmental damage charges. Based on newspaper reports of mishandled evidence, false reports and various other agenda driven slanders, it remains bizarre that the process took this long.

It’s a shame that various NGO still have not realised the damage to their credibility this case has done to them. It’s a bigger shame the NGO’s have compromised themselves just when Indonesia needs a reliable and transparent environmental watchdog the most. Its time for some leadership reviews and not just in the corporate world.

Here’s a tip …..’Walli’s” of the world, take a trip out to Surabaya and go play in the toxic mud brought to us by the Brothers Grimm. Perhaps out there you may regain some perspective.

Meanwhile a recent strike at Freeport, Papua raised a number of comments around the blogsphere. Predictably (and some what of a yawn), it was the mostly the “BIG BAD MULTINATIONAL” biased comments flowing again.

Invariably, the calls from the rabid green are to close the mine down and pay compensation (based on what??) and return the land to the people.

Of course, you never hear of what will replace the mine as the single biggest taxpayer in Indonesia. Perhaps a payroll tax on the ojek drivers?

In this strike, native Papuans wanted to a pay rise to over 3 times the national average and were concerned that Javanese were always given preference to Papuans in recruitment and career options.

The recruitment and promotion of Javanese over other ethnic groups is an explosive issue throughout many of the provinces. Decades of unequal school funding and “transmigration” policies have left many provinces way behind their Javanese cousins and this has yet to reach its crisis point. Although its safe to say the government does not have a lot time left to act.

The Papuans have every right to demand more opportunities from the wealth taken from their land. I can’t help but think their anger is misdirected. Any company is going to select its employees from the most qualified. A better question is where have the taxes and royalties gone? Why haven’t we got the best schools and hospitals in Indonesia based on out input to the national coffers? These are not questions that Freeport is responsible for.

The other issue is getting paid over three times the National Average. I know makes the NGO’s and other rabids feel all warm and fuzzy. Yippee!! We have screwed a few more bucks of our wealth back from the evil multi national!

Its short sighted, immature and devastates the communities involved. Basic supply and demand principles mean than market prices rise to the level the consumer can afford to pay (Hero Bali vs Hero Solo). Unless you can afford to employ every member of that community, you have condemned those without access to those higher wages to even greater poverty. (Does anyone want to take a bet that the price of a bag of rice in Papua does not double on the basis of the new wages?)


Perhaps instead of chasing ghosts and glory, the WALLI’s of this world could actually develop and propose viable working plans that ensure “All” of the community advances on the back of the natural bounty of the land.

Of course, this would require a bit of thought and planning. You cannot go changing the rules halfway thru the game .. UPFRONT AND TRANSPARENT