Minister of Environment Affirms RAPP Must Obey Regulation

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - The Minister of Forestry and Environment (LHK) Siti Nurbaya deeply regretted the government's effort to discipline PT RAPP (April Group) to obey the rules precisely grow wildly into the issue of revocation of permits which resulted in the emergence of unrest in the community.

Siti in his written statement in Jakarta on Monday (23/10/2017) said the government's firm stance by rejecting the RAPP Business Plan (RKU) is part of the government's forced efforts to protect Indonesia's peat ecosystem.

This is also in accordance with the basic mandate of Law No. 41 of 1999 on Forestry, as well as Government Regulation No. 57 on Peat Ecosystem Protection and Management, in which all HTI-based peat land-based companies must adapt their business plan with government rules.

But until the deadline given, PT RAPP is still forced to run the work plan in accordance with their own rules, and do not want to follow the rules set by the government.

"I invite RAPP to be a compliant company, obedient to the rules in this country, as other HTI companies whose RKU they have already been authorized, and no problem," said Siti.

He insists it is impossible to justify something wrong, or let it. Just as the government is forced to succumb and lose to defiant attitudes and against the rules.

The government, he continued, is unlikely to violate his own rules while the rules are structured in such a way as to protect the interests of the masses, and are not made for the benefit of the group or one company only.

Moreover, only PT RAPP is the only HTI Company that does not want to comply with government regulations. While 12 other HTI companies are now getting their RKU approval, and there is no complaining about the problem, he said.

Compliance of peat-based HTI companies is very important, as so far flammable peat land ecosystems have been one of the causes of forest and land fires (karhutla) for more than 20 years in Indonesia. "Protecting peat can not only be done with routine outages, but must be prevented early by doing peat protection as a whole and thorough," she continued.

Minister Siti asserted that although RKU RAPP is rejected, it does not mean the license is revoked as a whole. Unfortunately, however, the revocation of operational licenses grew, and RAPP was increasingly allowing the issue to run wild by threatening to lay off its employees.

"The truth is that KLHK gives orders and sanctions, so that RAPP will not plant in protected areas of peat ecosystems, but they can still plant in peat soil areas, so there is no problem," said Siti.

If true RAPP dear to the people, they should be obedient and do business well according to government rules, not with their own rules. "It can be very dangerous if all companies want to do business with their rules and not government regulations," said Siti.

He also encouraged RAPP to immediately revise their RKU according to peat PP, as other HTI companies. That with the seriousness of the company to protect the peat, karhutla disaster that usually happens regularly does not need to happen again.

The current generation can also pass on a healthier environment for future generations. "Let us both love the people in a good and honest way," said the Minister.