As UNSPUN states it's all to do with credibility and it would appear that Greenomics has fallen into the same sad peat pit.
The latest in "green" environmental groups happily discrediting themselves is the NGO Greenomics. Greenomics Executive Director, Elfian Effendi was reported yesterday (Jakarta Post, extract of article at end of this post) as demanding an apology from the Aceh BBR chief Kuntoro for criticising the implementation of Sharia Law in the province.
Now thought I, that's unusual! Greenomics is an environmental group, who solicited donations and support on that basis. So I looked a bit further into the information I had at hand, but couldn't find any extra bits that said "and ardent supporters of Sharia Law". Mmmm A misrepresentation of the truth..or even..........?
Now a quick look at the Greenomics website was in order, lo and behold there is a "mission statement" of sorts and quite a noble one at that:
"Greenomics Indonesia is a policy development institute that is devoted to introducing innovative empirical and field-based economic, financial and policy approaches for the purpose of supporting a move towards good natural resources governance"
Checking ..checking...nope nothing about Sharia Law yet..oh well maybe I have just missed it in the fine print?
Now I don't think that a random supporter of Greenomics and "good natural resources governance" would automatically assume she/he has just become supporter of Sharia Law. It is more than presumptuous for good ol Elfian to speak out like that from his position as the Greenomics executive director. Of course, as a director of anything, your personal views are your own. However, in the spirit of transparency and responsibility so often demanded by various NGO's perhaps a little professionalism would go a long way.
This hi-jacking of an environmental platform into a religious one is a real shame and seemingly increasingly common. "Greenomics" appear to be doing some good and much needed work but you can bet (actually you can't "bet" if you are reading this in a Sharia Law province or you will get a whipping!) this will cost them. It also raises the question of funding. It would be interesting to see how they are funded as (I can't seem to find much on their website).
So until Greenomics clarifies their position its only fair to ask:
Are Greenomics supporters of this?
or this???...
By the way, BBR Chief was right (for once) of course foreign investors and visitors are wary of Sharia Law, by its very nature, it is ill-defined, randomly applied and brutal.
EXTRACT FROM THE POST
BRR sharia comment slammed
National News - September 24, 2007
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An Aceh-linked organization that advocates for environmental issues demanded that the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) apologize for implicitly blaming the slow reconstruction work on sharia in Aceh province.
Greenomics Indonesia was responding to the statement of BRR chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who on a visit to The Jakarta Post on Thursday said that the implementation of sharia had "hindered" the development programs in the province, which enjoys special autonomy.
"Kuntoro's statement on sharia is intolerable and has offended Acehnese people's religious beliefs. He must withdraw it and make an apology to the Acehnese," Greenomics executive director Elfian Effendi told the Post over the weekend.
