President Jokowi Attends Tree Planting Day and National Planting Month 2017
President Jokowi attends the 2017 Tree Planting Day and the 2017 National Planting Month in Karangasem Village, Ponjong District, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta, Saturday, (9/12). (Photo: BPMI).
President Joko Jokowi Widodo requested that the Tree Planting Day is not merely a ceremonial event. The President suggested that the event be followed up with preservation so that it can benefit the people.
This was enunciated by President Jokowi when attending the 2017 Tree Planting Day and the 2017 National Planting Month in Karangasem Village, Ponjong District, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta, Saturday (9/12).
“Do not just make the event a ceremonial one, after planting 1 billion, 1 million trees, then abandoned. People love concrete, real benefits from planting trees, and we can see the trees growing. This is because it used a lot of budget,” the President said.
According to the President, the planting of millions of trees, if not accompanied by preservation, only wastes the state budget without providing tangible results for the community. “We observe the Tree Planting Day every year. We planted 1 billion trees, 1 million trees in the region. We have spent the budget for years. If I ask, where are the trees? Which one has grown? Anyone dare to show me?”, the President said.
In the event, the number of trees planted amounted to 45 thousand trees, but the President will continue to check so that the tree can grow and benefit the people. “I prefer 45 thousand trees as it is more real. I must check them whether the 45 thousand trees grow, or 2,000 or only 3 trees grow,” the President asserted.
The President also asked that the planted trees should have been big enough to survive. “The 30-40 cm seeds are forced to plant in the field while no preservation costs, how can they grow? Cant they?”, the President asked.
According to the President, the purpose of planting trees is to nip the disasters in the bud, for example, flash floods. The President said that the Government will continue to make improvements in the greening of land so that flash floods can be prevented. “We make flash floods as a correction that there must be something wrong that needs improving and we need to plant trees,” the President explained.
On the occasion, the President also appreciated the concept of multipurpose forest planting that has been carried out. Not only do we plant a tree that produces wood, but also a food source tree, medicines, and fruits. “Conceptually, I think it would be great if we handle this seriously, given this is not a difficult one,” the President was quoted as saying in a press release of the Deputy for Protocol, Press, and Media, the Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin.
Also accompanying the President in the event were the Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono, Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki, Head of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei and Governor of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X. (Bureau for Protocol, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat/EN) (MUR/YM/Naster).
