Governor mulls opening oil palm project for TKIs<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
In response to Malaysia's crackdown on illegal Indonesian workers
\n(TKIs), the East Kalimantan administration is considering opening
\nup one million hectares of oil palm plantations to provide
\nemployment for tens of thousands of returning workers.<\/p>\n
East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna Abdul Fatah said in
\nYogyakarta over the weekend his administration was looking into
\nthe possibility of opening an oil palm plantation near the
\nprovince's border with Sabah, Malaysia, in a bid to create jobs
\nfor workers currently stranded in Nunukan.<\/p>\n
\"If we are able to open, let's say, 500,000 hectares of oil
\npalm plantations, we will be able to create jobs for all the
\nreturning workers. And that's just for the plantation. By
\nincluding all the downstream industries, I'm sure we will be able
\nto create jobs for a million workers,\" Suwarna said.<\/p>\n
He said he had reported the plan to Vice President Hamzah Haz
\nand a number of ministers, but was told the area where his
\nadministration wanted to open an oil palm plantation was a
\nprotected forest.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers are stranded in
\nNunukan regency after Malaysian authorities expelled them for not
\nhaving proper documents.<\/p>\n
Most of the workers, if not all, now sheltered in makeshift
\nrefugee camps in Nunukan were working illegally on numerous oil
\npalm plantations in Sabah, East Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Their expulsion had created a diplomatic row between the two
\nneighboring countries, with some Indonesia leaders accusing
\nMalaysia of treating the Indonesian workers inhumanely.<\/p>\n
State Minister for Eastern Indonesian Development Manuel
\nKaiseipo welcomed the proposal, but doubted it could be
\nimplemented due to conflicting regulations issued by different
\ndepartments.<\/p>\n
\"The East Kalimantan governor's idea of opening up one million
\nhectares of oil palm plantations is a very good idea. It could
\nabsorb a huge number of workers. However, forestry regulations
\nwould seem to be in the way,\" said Kaiseipo.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, he said, the food plantation industry is
\nmotivated to expand, but on the other hand forestry regulations
\nstipulate that plantations cannot be established in protected
\nforest areas.<\/p>\n
\"The mining sector has the same problem. We have received
\nqueries from over 50 investors interested in investing in
\nIndonesia's eastern regions, but they cannot proceed with their
\nexploration activities due to forestry regulations prohibiting
\nopen exploration in protected and conserved forest areas,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Kaiseipo suggested an interdepartmental field survey be
\nundertaken, along with comprehensive dialog between the related
\ninstitutions, to resolve the question of whether an oil palm
\nplantation can be established in East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
\"Dialog alone will not be enough in this case. Field visits
\nshould be undertaken to the area in question (to see whether it
\nis truly a protected forest),\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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