PR Issue Facing Indonesia - Case Study Example

Public Relation

Introduction

Public relations (PR) involve the communication strategy which ends ups building mutual benefits between an organization such as the government or a business and the public. A public relation issue will arise if only the organization is benefiting from a situation where as the public does not benefit from it or the situation has a negative effect on the public. This essay discusses a public relation issue in Indonesia where the public is suffering from the effects of forests fires which benefits organizations that deal with the production of palm in the country.

PR issue facing Indonesia

Apparently, Indonesia is facing a public relation issue. It is reported that forests are intentionally being burned. The burning is aimed at the clearing of land so as to create more space for palm plantations which eventually assists in the production of palm oil. Burning is seen as the swiftest method in which land can be cleared. However, the burning of forest, in spite of creating high profits due to the increased productivity of palm oil has had adverse effects on the public. About five hundred thousand people are infected with respiratory infections which can be attributed to the burning of forest. The extent at which the forests are burned is high. The burning has been happening over the years. However, recently, the level of burning of the forests has been extremely high. It is estimated that the total emissions resulting from the forests fires in a day is more than the average emissions of the whole US in a single day. Air in the country appears to have changed its color to sepia in some of the most affected regions such as Sumatra among others. In those regions, the PSI have been recorded at two thousand which is way up the limit of three hundred at which is considered the upper limit above which is said to be unsafe.

The forest fires have not only had a negative effect on the people but to the wild animals. This creates a huge threat to wildlife in the country especially when the endangered wild animals are affected. Learning institutions in the neighboring countries have countries have been closed. The number of people traveling to the country has greatly reduced something that is expected to have a negative effect on the Indonesian economy. Cancellations of events that had been planned to happen in the country have been done. All over the world, people have stayed away from products that are produced in the country as a way of letting the Indonesian government know that they have to do something about the intensive forest burning. In some such as Sumatra, about ten individuals have died as a result of illness resulting from emissions. More than forty-million individuals living in the most affected regions are exposed to the effects of the emissions.

In spite of the problem having massive negative effects on the public, it has not been addressed adequately by the Indonesian government. Some of the religious groups in the country have prayed for rainfall which would help in stopping the rains, but that strategy has not been successful. Deployment of thirty airplanes has been done to fight the fires whereas about twenty-two thousand troops have been hired with the aim of fighting the fires. Other countries have come to the rescue of Indonesia in fighting the fires. However, these methods are not adequate. The government has not taken serious measures in solving the problem possibly because the fires lead to the increased economic growth of the nation through increased production of palm. It has not imposed policies and legislations that will help in regulating the fires.

Clearly, the problem of forest fires is a public relation issue in Indonesia. The people of Indonesia are facing huge problems as a result of the forests fires. The forest fires only benefit the bodies that produce palm in the country. Therefore, there is no mutual benefit to the public and organizations benefiting from palm production such as the oil companies thus making it a public relation issue.

Stakeholders who are involved in the issue

The public relation issue that is facing Indonesia has several stakeholders who are involved in it. The stakeholders can be categorized based on the impact as in the below matrix they have made to the issue either in solving it or causing it. Additionally, the matrix will show those who are affected as a result.

Stakeholders affected by the issue (Latent)

i. Community

ii. Wildlife

Stakeholders concerned about the issue (Aware)

i. Environmental and wildlife organizations.

ii. WHO

iii. Community

iv. Government bodies

v. Media

Stakeholders causing the issue (Active)

i. Palm production companies

ii. Pulpwood companies

iii. Small-scale farmers

iv. Land grabbers

Stakeholders trying to solve the issue (Active)

i. Government bodies

ii. Religious groups

iii. Neighboring countries

iv. Indonesian police

v. The community

Explanation

The stakeholders involved in the issue are classified according to the impact they have made to issue either negative or positive. The stakeholders are also classified according to the way they are affected by the issue.

Stakeholders causing the issue (Active)

Several stakeholders are blamed for causing the issue of forest fires in the country. About thirty-seven percent of the fires in one of the most affected regions, Sumatra, can be attributed to pulpwood companies. However, the largest proportion of forest fires not only in the region but in the entire Indonesia can be attributed to palm oil production companies. These companies intentionally burn the forest to create more land for palm plantations. Other stakeholders causing the issue include small-scale farmers who do not have adequate money to clear the land to create more space for farming using other methods of land clearing. They are left with the option of burning the forests. Land grabbers also use fires to clear the land and obtain it illegally.

Stakeholders affected by the issue (Latent)

People and wildlife are the key stakeholders that are affected by the issue of forest fires in Indonesia. Several people have died as a result of the emissions from the fires which causes respiratory infections. More than five hundred thousand people are suffering from the effects of the forest fires within a short period. Approximately one hundred thousand people are expected to die prematurely as a result of the forest fires in the country. The wildlife has been affected too by the problem of forest fire. The animals either die in the forest fire or are forced to move to other regions in search for safety.

Stakeholders concerned about the issue (Aware)

Many stakeholders are aware and concerned about the issue. Such stakeholders include environmental and wildlife organization including NGOs who have joined to form Fire-Free Alliance, which focuses on finding the solutions to the forest fires. Such stakeholders are aware of the issue, its effects and need for a solution strategy to be imposed to correct it. Other stakeholders who are aware of the issue include the government, the media, WHO and the public.

Stakeholders solving the issue

Combined efforts by various stakeholders have been taken to solve the issues. Stakeholders working to solve the issue include the religious group who are using the strategy of praying for rain. The government has also played a significant role in solving the issue through the deployment of aircrafts and troops in fighting the fires. Neighboring countries have joined in the solving the problem in Indonesia.Additionally, the Indonesian police has assisted in solving the problem of forest fires by arresting several people who are involved in the forest fires. The community has also contributed to solving of the problem. They have used local methods such as putting out the fire using water in containers. Moreover, various NGOs have joined the fight against forest fires in Indonesia. Some of the NGOs include those from the neighboring countries such as Singapore and include NGOs such as WWF-Singapore and SEC among others.

Clearly, the various stakeholders have had an impact on the issue. However, the impact to the issue is different among the various stakeholders. Whereas some of the stakeholders are working to worsen the issue, others are working to solve the problem.

Ethical implication and addressing the issue in a PR perspective

The issue of Indonesia can be addressed from a PR perspective by considering some of the ethical implications of the issue. Several ethical issues arise in the problem of Indonesian increased forest fires. Solving the ethical issues using a public relation should be done immediately and should involve several procedures. Ethical implication can lead to a bad perception not only among the Indonesian people but in the world over. Some of the ethical issues arising include exposing people to risks of contracting illnesses or dying. The palm oil production companies and pulp companies among other stakeholders considers profit rather than considering the effect at which their actions will have on the health of people, wildlife and the environment which is unethical. To solve such issues, the government should apply PR skills. First, the government should make a crisis communication plan including the spokesperson to the issue, the person to be involved in the drafting of the statement and what media to contact so as to inform the public about the issue (Allen, 2016).

The public should be addressed as soon as the crisis communication plan has been made. The government should admit that a problem has been made and should not blame anyone else. The Indonesian government should then issue all the stakeholders involved in the issue with statements of ethics. All the stakeholders that cause the problem should be informed of the unethical implication of the land clearing methods. The government should then suggest to them some of the ethical methods they can use rather than using the clearing method. The government should then show commitment to the proposed ethic by ensuring that the burning is no longer used in clearing the land (Allen, 2016).

Salient model theory

The issue of Indonesian forest fires can also be solved using the stakeholder salience model theory. This theory is used to establish the different stakeholders and to identify the important factors. The first step in using this method involves the identification of the stakeholders who are facing the problem resulting from the forest fires and who do not have the power to address their issue. The problem should be demanding and thus there should be the need of looking at it. The next steps involve letting those people who have the power and ability to address the problem to know about the problem and to take the necessary steps in addressing the issue.This method will be an ethical method into which the problem can be solved.

Recommendation

Definitely, the issue of forest fires in Indonesia needs to be addressed. One way in which I would address the situation is by approaching Nestle who are one of the users of palm oil thus a contributor to the ongoing forest fires in the country. I will recommend to the company some of the things they should do so as to assist in the management of the issue from a PR perspective and by considering ethical implications. The thing that Nestle should do is to identify all the stakeholders concerned with the production of palm oil in which the company uses. The stakeholders may involve the palm oil production companies and the government which are responsible for the regulation of everything in the country. The company should identify the cause of the forest fires in the country and how the forest fires are related to the palm oil production. They should then identify the specific companies that clear the land by burning in order to create space for the plantation of palm. The company should then notify each of the company that causes forest fires of the harm they create to both people and the environment. After, they have notified the various companies; they should then let them know of what should be done to solve the problem

The companies need to use forest management practices that are not harmful or have little harm to people, wildlife, and the environment. The companies should sign and adhere to zero-deforestation pledges. This will regulate the clearing of forest by using any method including by burning and thus will solve the problem to a great extent. The company should have a substantial amount of the profit been budged for the prevention of fires. The government should realize the extent of the problem and should rise to solving it. The government has remained irresolute about the problem, but it is now time to solve the problem. They should end the tradition in which the Indonesian government has been known for protecting private companies such as those that produces palm oil. They should regulate the actions that these companies carry out, and any violation to set policies and legislation should not be allowed. Any company or person who violates the policies should be made to face criminal charges. The government should support the smallholders financially to help them in using better methods in clearing the land which might be expensive than through the forest fires. The government should take the initiative of training and educating the communities living near or in the forest so that they can protect the forest from fires. The government should ensure that an adequate amount of money to protect the forests is accounted for in the budget. The amount of money will be used in the prevention of forests fires in the nation.

The government should consider creating an online land registry which can be accessed easily. This will help in reducing land grabbing in which burning is used in clearing the land. Additionally, the online land registry will help in establishing the person, company or organization that is responsible for a forest fire in the country. They should combine such online registry with digital maps to as to assist in identifying the person who is responsible for the outbreak of a forest fire more easily.

After Nestle has recommended the above strategies, it should ensure that the various stakeholders including the palm oil companies have implemented them. They should ensure that the stakeholders does not only implement them but are committed to them. This will assist in solving the problem.

Conclusion

Clearly, forest fires in Indonesia are a huge public relations problem. The issue has many stakeholders connected to it. Whereas the palm oil companies are making huge profits from increased plantation space achieved through forest fires, the public continues to suffer. The stakeholders should work together to ensure the problem is solved.