Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Activists demanded Monday that North Sumatra authorities put a stop to illegal fees imposed during transportation of imported timber from Medan to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
They said the shaking down of volunteers would erode international donor confidence in Indonesia and delay the reconstruction of the province from the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004.
Ramadhana Lubis from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) told The Jakarta Post trucks transporting imported timber were forced to pay up to Rp 7 million (about US$747) in total at 27 security checkpoints between the North Sumatra port of Belawan and Aceh regency of Meulaboh. He added the amount was almost the same as the truck rental of Rp 8 million.
"Volunteers pay the fees because they do not want to see their work delayed, although they know they will find it difficult to account for it in their financial reports," he said. NGO sources say the practice involves police officers, military personnel and forest police at security checkpoints.
National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bahrul Alam said his office had not received any official report about illegal fees. "Any officers caught red-handed will be arrested," he said.
WWF Aceh program coordinator Nana Fitriana Firman said she reported the practice to the Aceh-Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR). "BRR is just as confused as we are. They don't know what to do. As an agency directly under the President, it should have the power to eliminate the practices," she said.
Nana feared the demanding of illegal fees would lead to a slowdown in reconstruction because local supplies were insufficient. "BRR is determined to speed up the reconstruction from 2006 to 2007, but how could this happen if the illegal practices are not stopped?"
BRR director of donor and international relations Heru Prasetyo claimed the agency had no authority to stop the practice. "We have already reported the problem to National Police chief Gen. Sutanto," he said.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Oxfam and French-based Primiere Urgent are the biggest organizations importing timber among the many helping in the reconstruction. BRR estimates Aceh's reconstruction will need about 1 million cubic meters of wood to build 120,000 houses from 2005 through 2009.
The policy to import wood is meant to help conserve local forests amid rampant illegal logging. Indonesia loses about 3 million hectares in annual deforestation, mostly caused by illegal logging, official statistics shows.