Fidelis E. Satriastanti – The House of Representatives has called for the establishment of an independent commission to tackle illegal logging, but the Forestry Ministry is adamant that a sub-ministerial agency should do the job.

The opposing calls were made on Monday night at a hearing between House Commission IV, which oversees forestry affairs, and the ministry. They discussed a landmark bill on illegal logging that was proposed eight years ago but is still not passed into law.

Firman Soebagyo, deputy chairman of Commission IV, said it would take an independent commission with sweeping powers similar to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to crack down effectively on illegal logging.

"The House believes that it is necessary to set up a commission so there will be a legal basis [to fight illegal logging]," he said. "We must establish an independent body with a strong authority to investigate and prosecute, hopefully serving a similar function as the KPK."

Firman added the House was concerned that if the task of tracking down illegal loggers was left to a lower-level institution, it would not have the required power to act, particularly if the institution in question fell under the Forestry Ministry's auspices.

"We're under the international spotlight because we're considered to be far from serious in tackling illegal logging," he said.

"I'm sorry to say this, but this scrutiny is a reflection of the Forestry Ministry's performance. There are concerns from legislators that if we delegate the task to a coordinating agency under the ministry, we'll get more funny looks from the international community."

However, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said that since several existing institutions were already involved in the fight against illegal loggers, it made sense to set up an agency under his ministry to coordinate their efforts.

Bodies already tackling the issue include the police, prosecutors, the KPK and the presidentially appointed Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force, which has highlighted the forestry sector as particularly prone to institutional corruption.

"We propose that there be a coordinating agency, answerable to the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, the daily operations of which would be managed by the forestry minister," Zulkifli said.

While the House and the Forestry Ministry are at loggerheads over the issue, they both agreed that punishment for illegal loggers should be defined in terms of the minimum sentence applicable for a violation, rather than the maximum. This suggestion was made to ensure perpetrators receive longer jail terms.

The fight against illegal logging should target not just those cutting down the trees, but their superiors as well, Zulkifli said. "With this bill on illegal logging, we're after the white-collar criminals, the corporations and investors," he said.