Jakarta, NU Online
The former President of Indonesia KH Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid Monday (7/8) expected the House of Representatives to form such independent commission in order to examine all matters in Riau’s small islands following the sand selling conducted by irresponsible persons to overseas.
Gus Dur suggested that the government should be tight-knit in setting up such measures to preserve the national integrity. “If these (small islands) are not handled from the beginning, it seems that they will be the same as Sipadan, Ligitan, and Ambalat as rich oil regions in East Kalimantan,” Gus Dur said.
At the same time, Adhie Massardie that reads the Gus Dur’s written statements explained that matters dealing with the sand selling from the islands can be regarded as serious matters that should be immediately overcome.
“If this (matter) is still going on, the balance of our natural resources will be in trouble,” Gus Dur added.
According to the leader of Islamic Boarding “Pesantren” School Ciganjur Jakarta, the expected commission can be mobilized by elements, namely NGOs, intellectuals, professionals, and numbers of people. Gus Dur himself proposed names such as Mohammad Sobary, Arbi Sanit, and Ismid Hadad, the activist of an environmental NGO. (ant/nam)