Jakarta (Antara) – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is set to hold a meeting on March 23 on numerous environmental issues. The meeting was set after Walhi was being discouraged by both presidential candidates' who failed to provide significant answers on environmental issues at the second debate.

Walhi Adhoc team head Khalisah Khalid on Thursday asserts the forum's disappointment and is saddened by how Indonesia's ecological disasters and pollution is not taken seriously by either incumbent Jokowi or opposition Prabowo Subianto.

"We saw that environmental issues, natural resources preservations, and many of the peoples' struggles are not important issues in the electoral political momentum. Those arising to the surface are inessential issues," said Khalid.

The upcoming meeting will act as a public platform in finding solutions to matters related to the environment. Walhi's initiative is a citizen political participation that will enable them to dig deep into the root cause of environmental issues occurring in 28 provinces across Indonesia.

The meeting is planned to be held at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Basket Hall in Jakarta on Saturday, March 23. Walhi expects 3,500 attendances from representatives in 28 provinces will be present to voice every environmental challenge their province faces.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1187980/walhi-environment-issues-belittled-by-presidential-candidates