Step Vaessen

Lungs of the world are choking

The lungs of the world are suffering from serious breathing problems. It struck me again when we drove for ten hours on a dirt road on the Indonesian island of Borneo without seeing... trees. I mean real firm standing trees with leaves. The once stunning rain forest has been replaced by a scenery that mostly resembles a graveyard. Undefinable bush on both sides of the road where blackened burned remains of trees are the only evidence that this used to be a forest. Borneo-romantically described as the lungs of the world-is not the most cheerful place on this planet. 

The island has turned into a wild west area where loggers, miners and greedy officials rule.

Far away from the capital Jakarta logging permits, conservation assessments, sustainable palm oil are just abstract concepts of people wearing suits sitting in airconditioned offices. Here the rules of the jungle apply. 

The minister of forestry had put it bluntly.

What's in a name?

His name has been a bit of an obstacle from the start. Try asking anyone in this world what the Indonesian president is called. I did this in Washington a few years ago. The best I got was “Bang Bang”.

During that same trip to the US - I was covering the tour as part of the president's entourage - the speaker of the Senate announced the Indonesian president as Susilo Bambang Joedoyoyo. The man also called the tsunami a 'tsenoemi', so we can’t totally blame it on the name.

In the eyes of Indonesians, foreigners might be forgiven if they can't properly pronounce Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. It’s a hell of a name. His parents had high hopes for their only son, so they called him “a person who is more than loyal and who can win every war”. With a name like that, he had no other choice than to join the military.