Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) plans to form a political party, the Indonesian Green Party, and make the issue of the environment its main political agenda.
“The agenda of environmental politics will be its main agenda, it will no longer be a marginal issue”, said Khalisah Khalid from Walhi’s National Executive Board as quoted by the Antara state news agency on Thursday July 18.
The idea of establishing a green party was discussed by members of Walhi’s network during a public discussion on building an alternative political party that was held by the Central Sulawesi Walhi branch at a hotel in Palu.
The discussion was aimed at making the political agenda of the environment the main agenda in the formation of an Indonesian green party. Making the agenda of saving the environment and the right of people to manage their land will be the political struggle of an Indonesian green party.
Khalid hopes that an alternative political party will offer a choice or an alternative to people amidst the dynamics of political affairs which currently exist.
Khalid criticised the existing political parties for not fully giving space to political alternatives particularly in relation to saving the environment. “Because of there needs to be change, to provide space to alternative politics”, said Khalid.
Walhi Central Sulawesi campaign manager Stevandi said that the issues that they are currently dealing with are quite diverse, from problems related to the palm oil sector, mining, forestry and the environment.
“Almost all of the issues advocated by Walhi can be sure to keep coming up against the bureaucracy and the political arena as the place where policies are given birth to in this republic. [We need an alternative party] in order to push the state to provide space for saving the environment in Indonesia”, said Stevandi. (antara/DAL)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “Walhi Godok Pembentukan Partai Hijau Indonesia”.]
