Local government corruption fuelling Indonesia's forest fires, Greenpeace says
Greenpeace Indonesia says corruption means local governments turn a blind eye to fires, lit to clear land for palm oil, that cause region's smog
As forest fires continued to rage on the Indonesian island of Sumatra yesterday, environmental activists cited corruption and weak law enforcement as factors behind the smog that regularly blows across the Malacca Strait into Malaysia and Singapore.
The worst fires are currently burning in Sumatra's Riau province, in the districts of Dumai, Bengkalis and Rokan Hilir.
Corruption at the local government level often results in authorities turning a blind eye to fires started on land leased by big plantation companies, said Greenpeace Indonesia.
"There is lots of corruption taking place at the local level," said Bustar Maitar, head of Greenpeace Indonesia's forest campaign. "Foreign investors operating in Indonesia should not pay bribes so that they can carry out wrongdoing."
In 2011, the central government strengthened its efforts to reduce deforestation by imposing a moratorium on the issuance of new land concessions, but local authorities have not fallen into line.
"It is very difficult to control everything at the local level," said Greenpeace's Bustar.