Jakarta, (Antara) - Environmental issues should be raised during campaign activities in the run up to the simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada), Vice President Jusuf M. Kalla stated.
Incumbents whose cities or districts won the Adipura clean city awards could have a higher likelihood of being reelected, Kalla noted while presenting the Adipura awards here on Monday evening.
The Adipura awards could serve as testaments to the incumbents' achievements of maintaining cleanliness in their cities or districts during their leadership term, according to Kalla.
The environment-related awards could offer added value to their campaign agenda, he stated.
Maintaining cleanliness in a city is not merely the responsibility of the city administration but also of everyone, Kalla emphasized.
The Adipura awards are presented not only based on cleanliness but also on the health, economic, and educational aspects of a city, he remarked.
The vice president, accompanied by Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, presented the Adipura Kencana awards respectively to Surabaya in East Java Province, Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, and Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi.
The government also bestowed the Proper awards on 12 companies judged on the basis of their environment-related performances.(*)
