Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Ten factions in the House of Representatives united to pass the Environmental Protection and Management Bill on Tuesday, stating that the new law would give much stronger authority to the State Ministry of Environment and impose stricter sanctions.

The new bill will replace the 1997 Environmental Management Law. The passage of the new bill has been stalled for almost eight years.

Albert Yaputra, a spokesman from the Democratic Party, said there had been multiple intepretations of the previous law that had lead to the destruction of natural environments.

"There has been too much bureaucracy, resulting in very weak law enforcement and, most of the time, unfinished law enforcement," Albert said, adding that the stricter sanctions in the bill could resolve these problems.

Ben Vincent Djeharu, spokesman from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the bill comprehensively included all aspects needed to protect the environment.

"It has also included a much tighter legal framework, allowing more room for awareness for all decision makers to protect the environment," Ben said.

"We also support the granting of more authority for the State Ministry of Environment to manage and coordinate in order to protect the environment."

Berry Nahdian Furqon, executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said on Monday that the new bill marked a significant change in the government's efforts to protect the environment.

"However, this will not automatically change everything," Berry said. "The next challenge is how to synchronize the new bill with other regulations."