Friday, 31 May 2002

BALI, Indonesia

The media center was full this afternoon, all the Internet connections busy with journalists trying to file their reports ahead of schedule. This had less to do with the approach of the weekend than with the impending start of the World Cup. In all likelihood, the most popular place tonight will be the Greenpeace ship, whose crew has promised a BBQ dinner and a big-screen display of the opening match between France and Senegal. Think of it as an olive branch to the French, whose special forces sunk one of Greenpeace’s boats several years ago.

Yet even the start of the World Cup hasn’t eclipsed the day’s biggest announcement: European ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. That news is still “embargoed” as I write, 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, but it will be official by daybreak in New York. The E.U. decision doesn’t really affect the meeting going on here, but it does give the Europeans something to crow about as the negotiations reach the halfway mark.

Other groups have less to celebrate. A closely watched vote this morning on whether the India-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy should be allowed to participate in the discussions was rejected. The U.S. helped lead efforts to have the organization included, but China’s delegation gathered a sufficient majority to deny the application.

For the NGOs that can participate, the consensus so far is that progress has been minimal. At a press conference this morning, the U.S., Canada, and Australia were labeled the “environmental axis of evil” for their continuing refusal to include timetables and financial commitments with their development goals. South Korea’s Kim Jai Ok, representing Consumers International, summed up the feeling among many activists: “We want concrete action, not more vague promises.”

But other messages in Bali are even less clear than the negotiating text. A mysterious person named Benjamin Creme, who claims to be channeled by “The Master,” has been leaving his own press releases around the convention center. Under the headline “Policeman,” Creme says, “The voice of Maitreya will soon be heard above the cries for revenge and hate. Soon, the world will awaken to His presence in our midst and the Great Choice will be offered to men.”

Most of us, though, are not at all sure whether we’re facing a Great Choice. We’re just trying to figure out what’s most important about what’s going on around us. And that, of course, depends on your point of view. For the South Africans, who have the largest press presence here after Indonesia, the most pressing issue has been to figure out which controversial topics will be passed along for debate in Johannesburg this August. The Indonesians, on the other hand, realize that their moment is quickly passing and are beginning to wonder aloud just what sort of influence this PrepCom will leave behind.

A hint of an answer could be detected this afternoon on a grassy field in Nusa Dua. Under clear blue skies, the Indonesian environmental group Telapak was hosting a panel discussion with fishers, environmentalists, and former government ministers about the state of Indonesia’s fisheries. Not a very notable event, except that the discussion was being broadcast live on 240 radio stations across the country. With a backdrop that read “Indonesia: Are you ready for Johannesburg?” listeners from Aceh to Irian Jaya were encouraged to call in to share their thoughts and concerns. The response during the hour-long program was impressive, and the broadcasters promised to continue each afternoon for the next week.

As the callers and participants in this radio program acknowledged, however, Indonesia still has a long way to go if it is to achieve the goals spelled out by the delegates here. The country’s forests are still being destroyed as fast as the Amazon’s; its cities are mired in a pall of toxic pollutants; and threats like HIV/AIDS are growing. The consensus at the Telapak discussion was that Indonesia as a nation needs to be proactive.

“Go out and organize patrols that can report to the police,” one of the panelists said in response to a caller from Sumatra who wanted to know how to counter growing numbers of illegal fishers in his community’s waters. “Organize through your mosques and churches; don’t wait for someone else to come help.”

Maybe that’s the message that was lost this week in the midst of all the finger-pointing. If there really is a Great Choice to be made, perhaps this group gathered on an open field in Nusa Dua, with the sounds of a gamelan drifting over from a nearby temple, was already making it.

Wiwiek Awiati, director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, certainly thinks so. “The negotiating text is important,” she said. “This whole process to Johannesburg is important. But if the national government and local communities aren’t willing to get more involved in solving Indonesia’s problems, then none of these agreements will ever matter.”