BMF_TT__July2010_en.pdf - Bruno Manser Fonds
BMF_TT__July2010_en.pdf - Bruno Manser Fonds
BMF_TT__July2010_en.pdf - Bruno Manser Fonds
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Sarawak, Malaysia has be<strong>en</strong> stopped. Is the Federal Council<br />
planning to undertake something in this respect, and would it be<br />
willing to receive a delegation from the <strong>Bruno</strong> <strong>Manser</strong> Fund?»<br />
The cont<strong>en</strong>t of Federal Councillor Jean-Pascal Delamuraz’s<br />
response was disappointing. He argued that there was something<br />
more effective to do than to require mandatory declarations.<br />
Switzerland would try to conduct talks with the producing<br />
countries and would work toward a recognition of the problem.<br />
But former National Councillor Hugo Wick and Councillor of<br />
State Rosemarie Simm<strong>en</strong> did not give up. Their motions calling<br />
for a mandatory declaration on tropical woods were actually<br />
submitted to the Federal Council as test proposals but in the <strong>en</strong>d<br />
they dwindled and fell short.<br />
In 1994 and again in 1997, Christoph Eymann, pres<strong>en</strong>t member<br />
of the Governm<strong>en</strong>t of the Canton of Basel Stadt and former<br />
National Councillor, followed with two motions requesting a<br />
mandatory declaration for tropical woods. However, exactly t<strong>en</strong><br />
years had to pass until our Swiss Parliam<strong>en</strong>t, on 26.09.2007,<br />
was finally ready to submit a motion for the declaration of wood<br />
and wood products and to include the issue that I had repeatdly<br />
tried to introduce in Bern: namely to take measures against the<br />
trade with illegally logged timber.<br />
But of much greater importance, it takes people like <strong>Bruno</strong><br />
<strong>Manser</strong> who dedicate themselves to a cause - stubbornly,<br />
imaginatively, and with their <strong>en</strong>tire being. In this way they<br />
influ<strong>en</strong>ce other people and their attitudes, they school our<br />
awar<strong>en</strong>ess and they motivate and prevail upon <strong>en</strong>vironm<strong>en</strong>tal<br />
organisations to continue their efforts for these concerns that<br />
are so important for the future of our planet.<br />
And not least of all, but perhaps somewhat slower: people<br />
like <strong>Bruno</strong> <strong>Manser</strong> have a sustaining influ<strong>en</strong>ce on our politics!<br />
Which is meant in a double s<strong>en</strong>se of the word. Thanks go to<br />
<strong>Bruno</strong> <strong>Manser</strong>.<br />
What do I want to say with this? That in politics, and especially<br />
in Bern, the wheels turn slowly, too slowly? Perhaps that’s true<br />
as well.
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