The Politics of Environment in Southeast Asia –Resources and Resistance (book review)

Title :-The Politics of Environment in Southeast Asia –Resources and Resistance.

By :- Philip Hirsch & Carol Warren (editor)

Published :- Routledge, London & New York (1998) Paperback (300 pages)

Outline :- The outline, and particularly the interpretation, of a number of case studies through SE Asia where growth and development interact with more traditional villages and their fears of potential negative influence from development. There are two or three selected examples from dams, forestry, mining, health, tourism and political response. The spread of examples across Asia is good, and the subtle differences of each nationality come through.

The background in the KPC article is that the coal mine developed in a responsible manner in a remote area. As people were attracted to the region for work and to provide services to the workers etc, so the little village grew. Eventually the government established offices and police station, but did not place these facilities in the town for easy access, but placed them outside the town for grandiose facilities. The government and police officers had little budget or experience to be effective. However the company provided a fire engine when a village house caught fire or their first aid facilities when the village people were sick, and such. Some interesting excerpts from the Indonesian mining article ;

• Teluk Linggans have greater confidence in the capacity of KPC to solve their problems, and they value good relations with the company and company personnel more highly than they do with their links with local government authorities.
• The company needs to maintain a good working relationship with various state agencies at the central, provincial and local levels. However, each of these three levels may see their needs and responsibilities in ways that conflict with the demands of the other two.
• In reality, the influence of KPC on Teluk Lingga is tremendous. Names of KPC managers and other influential figures are familiar to most residents. In cases of private disputes – such as those which concern unpaid debts and financial obligations – it is to KPC that people threaten to go for a solution. Exposing the weakness of one’s adversaries to senior KPC employers is considered far more effective a sanction than to attempt to obtain help and arbitration through official channels such as the local district office or the police.