Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Perspective and Haze-Free ASEAN 2020: Evidences from Riau

Abstract

Riau is one of the most forestand land fire-prone provincesin Indonesia. These forest and land fires cause haze pollution affecting not only Riau, but also the South-East Asian region. Even though Indonesia had ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) in September 2014, the haze pollution in 2015 caused by forest and land fires had proven that the AATHP regime was ineffective to tacklehaze issues in Indonesia, particularly in Riau. Relatively less forest and land fires and haze pollution in Riau (also across the nation) in 2016 and 2017 was by no means due to the implementation of the AATHP regime,nor by the Riau Province government policies. Rather,it is believed to be due to the heavy rainy seasonsduring thosetwo years. The ASEANhaze-free agenda is very imminent now as we are enteringYear 2020. This paper applies David Easton’s theory of decision making which belongs to the behaviouralist approach. This article aims to discuss the demand and support aspects as the inputs topolitical and decision making process by the local governmentof Riauparticularly, although the theory isalso applicable tonational and international decision making process. The findings ofthis paper show thatCSOs have focused most of their attention on the demand aspect andhas not yet provided significant change to the Riau government policies and local practices regarding land and forest fires,as well as haze pollutionissuesin the South-East Asianregion. Therefore,there is an urgentneed to balance the demand and support aspectstowardsthe government decision-making processto resolve thisperennial issue.This effort may be achievedby involving more sectors, including theGovernment andCSOsto collaborate sustainablywith othersectors which researchers callas ABC-GIM: academics, business actors, CSOactivists, Government Officials, InfluentialIndividualsand Mainstream Media. This sustainablecollaboration should provide a balancedaspectofdemand and support in decision-making processwhich eventuallymayresolvetransboundaryhazeissues in the shortand long-term periods