Indonesia’s presidential candidates expressed aspects of their environmental agenda through their representatives during an evening gathering of news media reporters and nongovernmental organizations. Sponsored by five orangutan advocacy groups (Orang Utan Republik Foundation, The Orangutan Project, The Orangutan Conservancy, Orangutan Outreach, and Orangutan Land Trust), the discussion/debate took place at Café Resto, Complex Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Central Jakarta, Thursday (03/07) and featured Wahyu Widodo, representing the presidential candidate team of Joko Widodo/Jusuf Kalla, and Syamsul Bahri, representing the presidential candidate team of Prabowo Subianto/Hatta Rajasa.
The theme for the evening discussion was, “Following the 2014 Presidential Election: The Future of Indonesia’s Environment.”
A variety of topics were discussed during the evening during which time Wahyu Widodo and Syamsul Bahri explained the vision and mission of their respective candidates for the nation’s highest office.
Syamsul Bahri for Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa, said the environmental problems that exist in Indonesia are due to land degradation, loss of genetic resources in the natural environment (germplasm) and diminishing public concern about the environment.
Syamsul Bahri said that if Prabowo was elected President, he would continue the environmental policy of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as it promises to reduce carbon emissions by 26 percent or 41 percent with international assistance in 2020. “But the government Indonesia needs to strengthen the climate negotiations in international forums, “he said.
Wahyu Widodo discussed a Jokowi-Kalla approach to managing the environment. It needs to be extraordinary, and necessary institutions for the fields of environment management and natural resources are needed provide a deterrent for environmental crime. He said, Jokowi-Kalla will take extraordinary law enforcement actions against violations in the fields of forestry and marine resources in Indonesia.
This excerpt from a news article appeared on and is courtesy of OURF and can be read in its entirety here.