The Chaos Of The New Age Forest Management

JAKARTA - Forest management in the New Order (Orba) era was full of problems. The New Order-style economic development paradigm is the reason. New Order always prepared the forest only for investment. Forest tenure rights (HPH) were also issued. So are natural resources.

This means that Indonesia's natural wealth is controlled by a limited party. Meanwhile, people's lives are getting more difficult. Therefore, Indonesia seems to be prepared for the harvest phase of disaster and poverty.

Suharto's challenge at the beginning of his reign as Indonesia's number one person was not easy. At that time, Indonesia had to face three challenges at once, namely the enforcement of power, restoration of economic stability, and the development of government legitimacy.

The New Order government had a ploy. New Order used the services of a development technocrat known as the Berkeley Mafia. Their presence brought a new color to the Indonesian government. From what was originally famous for lighthouse politics, it turned to economic development.

This framework made economic development the main focus of the New Order government. The Barkeley mafia also plays a vital role. They took direct steps to improve the economy which was in disarray after the Old Order.

New policies are encouraged. The goal is to open the tap of investment as widely as possible for the sake of economic stability. The public interest is ruled out. While the interests of groups or companies are prioritized. All for the sake of attracting the interest of donors and donors of the world.

“To overcome this economic problem, the immediate steps taken by the Suharto regime are to strengthen MPRS Decree No. XXIII concerning Policy Reform on the Economic Basis: Finance and Development. In addition, Suharto also formed a new cabinet on July 25, 1966 with the aim of saving the economy, creating stability and economic recovery and economic development, which was named the Cabinet for the Mandate of People's Suffering (Ampera Cabinet)."

“This cabinet is assisted by the Economic Stabilization Council, which consists of professors and economists from the University of Indonesia (UI), the majority of whom are graduates of the University of California, Berkeley, who are well-known as the Berkeley mafia, such as Prof. Dr. Widjojo Nitisastro (chairman of the Economic Stabilization Council), Prof. Dr. Emil Salim, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Sadli, Prof. Dr. Ali Wardhana, Prof. Dr. Subroto and others," said Hamka Hendra Noer in the book The Neutrality of the Indonesian Bureaucracy (2014).

The Berkeley Mafia's presence was temporarily successful. Economic stability is maintained. However, only a few have benefited from the paradigm of economic development. The majority of the beneficiaries are businessmen and government officials.

But the small people, especially farmers, their standard of living did not rise, nor did they fall. Alias survive at the same level until finally they are forced to compete with agricultural products from the world market.

“The dependence on foreign investors began with a cooperation agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is an international organization responsible for regulating the global financial system and providing loans to its member countries to assist with balance sheet problems in each country. ”

“The massive influx of foreign capital was strongly supported by the New Order government, which was supported by the Berkeley Mafia. Economic prosperity is only enjoyed by a few people who have access to government. The success of self-sufficiency in rice, which is the hallmark of the government program, did not last long due to inconsistent policy implementation," said Muhammad Ilham Arisaputra in the book Agrarian Reform in Indonesia (2021).

Policies that only suppress the paradigm of economic growth have resulted in messy forest management in Indonesia. Preserving the environment is not the main focus of the New Order government. For the sake of economic stability, the government has also issued various laws.

In Law no. 5/1967 concerning Basic Forestry provisions, for example. The policy was immediately used by various transnationals. They are competing to get HPH.

No kidding. In just 13 years (1967-1980) the New Order government had issued 519 HPHs. The total area of government-bound concessions is 53 million hectares. Sumatra and Kalimantan are the targets of forest exploitation.

The area is in demand because it has the largest commercial timber stock in the archipelago. What's more, the area is close to the Asian market centers – Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

“For this purpose, the Suharto government, with the approval of the parliament, issued Law No.1/1967 concerning foreign capital investment, Law No.6/1967 concerning domestic capital, Law No.5/1967 concerning Law No. Principles of Forestry, and Government Regulation no. 21/1970 regarding the mechanism for permitting HPHs, which ultimately contributed to forest destruction during the New Order era.”

“In Article 1 (paragraph 1) of the Law on Forestry Principles, it is emphasized that 'the government has the authority to determine and regulate the planning and use of forest land within production forest areas'. Article 13 also states that the development of the forestry sector allows the cutting of logs from production forests for economic purposes, to improve the social welfare of the Indonesian people," said Herman Hidayat in the book Politics of the Environment: Forest Management during the New Order and Reforms (2008). .

Reality says otherwise. Narrative Law policies that are made as much as possible for the people, tend to only benefit a few groups. Environmental observer, Yani Sagaroa, confirmed that.

In his view, the government's strategy of choosing the paradigm of increasing economic development only strengthens the conglomeration of transnational companies. The company then exploited Indonesia's natural resources, including the forestry sector on a large scale.

Yani Sagaroa also highlighted the development paradigm that was perpetuated by the New Order. He said the narrative of improving people's welfare through the gates of exploiting the forest sector is only a mere jargon.

People actually lose money because forests are exploited on a large scale without being balanced by policies that protect the environment. Therefore, environmental problems are increasingly diverse. Among other things, massive forest destruction and forest fires that invite disaster.

“The impact of our natural resource management pattern which focuses on exploitation on a large scale leads to massive degradation and deforestation of natural resources and forests. No less than two million hectares of our natural resources are destroyed every year, and at almost every investment point there is a protracted conflict between communities, capital, and the government.”

“SDA control conflicts occur when the structure and legal order no longer favor justice to fulfill the rights of local communities, whose lives depend on the carrying capacity of the environment and forests,” said Environmental Observer and former WALHI National Council (2008-2012), Yani Sagaroa when contacted by VOI, Thursday, December 9.

*Read other information about the NEW ORDER or read other interesting articles from Detha Arya Tifada.