21 Dec 2009
President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s “characteristic” lack of leadership was the main reason for
Having successfully hosted the Bali climate talks two years ago and won international praise for domestic reforestation efforts, Yu-dhoyono came to
But Yudhoyono did not even make the group of countries that drafted the final form of the Copenhagen Accord, which emerged principally from
In international media coverage about the talks,
“The people put high hopes in the President to show strong diplomacy during the conference,” National Awakening Party (PKB) legislator Effendi Choirie said Sunday.
“The people realized that
“However, the strong leadership expected from the President went to waste, because we all know the kind of character he is: not brave, and more concerned about lip service than real action.”
The climate talks ended Saturday without a legally binding agreement on greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Yudhoyono, arriving back in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon, expressed his satisfaction with the accord, claiming almost all of Indonesia’s proposals to address climate change, which he had outlined in his speech, had been included in the draft.
Benny Furqon, from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said the lack of leadership from the Indonesian delegation was evident in the country’s unclear stance on whether to take sides throughout the conference.
“
“
Civil Society Forum for Climate Justice coordinator Giorgio Budi said Yudhoyono had also failed to comprehend the real issues.
“The President didn’t realize that his interventions were mostly related to money,” he said.
“Money is not the issue. The issue is rich countries’ responsibility for causing environmental damage in developing countries.”
Giorgio also lambasted Yudho-yono for focusing more on guarding his image in the eyes of world leaders rather than fighting for the environmental interests of his own people back home.
Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com
© Inacom. All Rights Reserved.