Persistent Primordial Romanticisms

The approvals for conversions of some protection-dedicated forests into city centers, as well as the continuous uses of other conservation areas for mining sites have just been brought to the public attention in the front pages of some Indonesian media. Not long before, thousand cubic metres of valuable timber smuggled to other countries. Those have added the long lists of forest problems. Rampant commercial logging, forest fires and sour conflicts between forest business and local/ indigenous groups are only a few of the many others to mention.

It becomes evident that the Indonesian forest sector is experiencing so-called “policy inflation and capacity collapse” syndrome. The sector is congested with dozens of problems, despite appealing promises on wise uses of the resources, which perhaps could be found in every single page of ‘tiger paper’ official documents.

Some might have been childishly giggling on the ‘impotency’ of Indonesian foresters in the national multi-sectoral negotiations. Some others might be left frustrated since Indonesian foresters -altogether with their South fellows- are left as spectators, unable to resist aggressions of interests from the North in the international forest dialogues.

Yet, Indonesian foresters, especially those are in the governmental apparatus, somehow are in the long dreams about ‘primordial orgasms’. Every single forester, or those involved in forestry activities, perhaps could observe a ‘disclosed public secret’ of the two-horse race between ‘Dermaga&Co’ and ‘Bulaksumur Alliance’, competing for strategic structural posts.

When the New Order Regime was still in power, the rivalry was perhaps only for the Forestry#1. Currently, while the post is extremely unpredictable, depending on the outcomes of ‘mutual transactions’ between/ amongst political parties, the battlefields shift to the various Tiers/ Eselons in the Ministry.

Sadly, the two apply similar strategy what scholars in the political science describe as “zero sum politics” -that one’s gains does mean the other’s loss-, rather than positive competition for the common goods. Either from “Chinese whispers” from internal sources -particularly from those feel aggrieved have been left out- or from critical observations, it is not uncommon when one gets strategic posts, then he/ she bring own squad, sweeping aside most of the rival’s armada under the posts.

That might have not been the concerns if the new is more enthusiastic and more progressive, has better visions and platforms, bringing the fresh air to the more problem-congested forest sector. Unfortunately, it appears that that might not be the case. It is not unusual that the new cabinet sweep away the former altogether their policy, without seeing any robustness of the policy.

Some could argue that it is the consequence as the policy has not brought real impacts to heal the chronic forest problems, but it should be understood that the impacts of a particular policy might be can only be seen after decades. People will hardly see the immediate impacts of any policy considering the magnitude of the problems. The continuously changing forest policy would result in uncertainties on ‘forest welfare’.

For the sake of the stewardships of the forest resources, therefore, there might not be options, but to rediscover foresters’ ‘corsa spirits’, which suggest that one’s burdens and pains should be carried by the others; and in sum ‘all for one, one for all’. The spirits have long been embedded in the forest professions, but have somehow gone in the sky.

While the world’s foresters apparently are united to prevent the increasing pressure from non-forest interests, the national foresters should move away from own political interests, instead of bringing the political interests of the whole foresters and the resource.

There is no more room for primordial romanticisms, as the foresters are now dealing with the more complex forest problems. The team up between the best professionals assembled in the two best forest schools in the country would be a perfect start. Let’s wake up to fight against the massive forest loss and degradation as well as the marginalization of forest-dependent people.