My paper and a press response

Remember I publish an article on a national scale newspaper about 3 weeks ago. I wrote that paper because a group of lawmakers and developers urge to create a new national park in my country. They think building parks can promote ecotourism and increase employment opportunities. To oppose their argument, I drop my article to reject their argument and also to support local indigenous tribes.

Yesterday one of the lawmakers sent a message through the press. Clearly it is a response to my article and many other tribal voices. She demonises indigenous people as destroyers of nature who only know how to earn money from their mountain farms. On the contrary, non-native people are more ecological because they know the value of the forest and are willing to protect the environment.

To be honest, I feel bad when I know my paper causes such negative response and the lawmaker’s response indeed hurt indigenous people. I also understand it is not correct to plant fruit and vegetables in the mountain areas. But who put those natives in the farm fifty years ago? It is non-natives like me.

Perhaps I should write another paper to remind those lawmakers and developers that “national parks are not national parking lot.” If they care about the land, there are still many things they can contribute.