Norway monitoring ‘political’ appointments in Indonesian climate program
JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) — The Norwegian government is monitoring growing concerns over Indonesia’s decision to appoint political figures with little climate expertise to oversee a climate forestry program largely financed by Norway, Mongabay reports.
Norway has long supported Indonesia’s environmental efforts, particularly through the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI).
Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has come under scrutiny recently for naming several fellow members from his political party, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), to key positions within the office responsible for the FOLU Net Sink 2030 initiative.
This aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Indonesia’s forestry and other land use (FOLU) sector by curbing deforestation, preventing forest fires, and increasing reforestation efforts. The ultimate goal is for Indonesia’s forests to absorb more carbon than they release by 2030, a part of the country’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
To coordinate, monitor and evaluate the program, the government established an operation management office (OMO). However, in a Jan. 31 decree, Forestry Minister Raja restructured the OMO by appointing PSI cadres to the office, raising concerns over political favoritism.
Raja is one of the founders of the PSI and currently serves as its secretary-general, the party’s No. 2.
The appointments have also drawn criticism due to the OMO’s relatively high monthly salaries, ranging from 8 million rupiah ($500) at the lowest level to 50 million rupiah ($3,000) for leadership positions.
Critics say these salaries are excessive for a government-backed environmental initiative, particularly at a time when the government is cutting the budget for several agencies, including those related to the environment.
Raja has defended the appointments, saying the OMO is funded by donors and partner countries, not the state budget. The decree specifies that the funding comes primarily from Norway’s contributions and other approved sources.
Norway did not immediately react to the controversy, but engaged with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry on March 10, more than a month after the appointments. During the meeting, the Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta emphasized the importance of accountability in managing the FOLU Net Sink program.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Forestry downplayed concerns, saying the current OMO structure is “interim” and part of a planned restructuring to improve transparency and accountability. However, the government has not provided a timeline or clear criteria for new appointments, raising fears that this ‘interim’ justification could be used to maintain political placements indefinitely.
“The sudden use of the term ‘interim’ seems completely made up,” Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Muhammad Iqbal Damanik told Mongabay. “If it was truly interim, why wasn’t it mentioned from the start?” “The ministerial decree doesn’t mention anything about ‘interim’ either.”
After Indonesia’s devastating 2015 peatland and forest fires, which burned 2.6 million hectares (6.4 million acres), Norway pledged $50 million to the newly established Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). More recently, since 2022, Norway has paid $216 million to Indonesia for successfully reducing emissions by curbing deforestation and forest degradation. These funds are managed by the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH), under Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance.
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