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Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia

Principles of government policies

- Article 50 of Chapter IV of the Indonesian Constitution specifies that protection the environment in which the present generation lives and in which future generations will develop socially is considered a public responsibility. Therefore, economic activities, and other activities which may pollute the environment or destroy its irrevocably, shall be forbidden.

1. Article 50 uses three different approaches to promote the environmental conservation. First of all, it encourages the citizens to protect the environment. Then it imposes a responsibility on the present generation to preserve the quality of environment for the future generations. Finally, it warns that many activities may pollute the environment or destroy it irrevocably. Therefore, such activities should be prohibited. In using all those approaches, this provision covers the right for citizens to make use of the environment, the duty of present generation to protect the environment, and the responsibility of present generation to deliver good quality environment to the future generations.