Governor mulls opening oil palm project for TKIs

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

In response to Malaysia's crackdown on illegal Indonesian workers (TKIs), the East Kalimantan administration is considering opening up one million hectares of oil palm plantations to provide employment for tens of thousands of returning workers.

East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna Abdul Fatah said in Yogyakarta over the weekend his administration was looking into the possibility of opening an oil palm plantation near the province's border with Sabah, Malaysia, in a bid to create jobs for workers currently stranded in Nunukan.

"If we are able to open, let's say, 500,000 hectares of oil palm plantations, we will be able to create jobs for all the returning workers. And that's just for the plantation. By including all the downstream industries, I'm sure we will be able to create jobs for a million workers," Suwarna said.

He said he had reported the plan to Vice President Hamzah Haz and a number of ministers, but was told the area where his administration wanted to open an oil palm plantation was a protected forest.

Tens of thousands of Indonesian workers are stranded in Nunukan regency after Malaysian authorities expelled them for not having proper documents.

Most of the workers, if not all, now sheltered in makeshift refugee camps in Nunukan were working illegally on numerous oil palm plantations in Sabah, East Malaysia.

Their expulsion had created a diplomatic row between the two neighboring countries, with some Indonesia leaders accusing Malaysia of treating the Indonesian workers inhumanely.

State Minister for Eastern Indonesian Development Manuel Kaiseipo welcomed the proposal, but doubted it could be implemented due to conflicting regulations issued by different departments.

"The East Kalimantan governor's idea of opening up one million hectares of oil palm plantations is a very good idea. It could absorb a huge number of workers. However, forestry regulations would seem to be in the way," said Kaiseipo.

On the one hand, he said, the food plantation industry is motivated to expand, but on the other hand forestry regulations stipulate that plantations cannot be established in protected forest areas.

"The mining sector has the same problem. We have received queries from over 50 investors interested in investing in Indonesia's eastern regions, but they cannot proceed with their exploration activities due to forestry regulations prohibiting open exploration in protected and conserved forest areas," he said.

Kaiseipo suggested an interdepartmental field survey be undertaken, along with comprehensive dialog between the related institutions, to resolve the question of whether an oil palm plantation can be established in East Kalimantan.

"Dialog alone will not be enough in this case. Field visits should be undertaken to the area in question (to see whether it is truly a protected forest)," he said.