Governor mulls opening oil palm project for TKIs
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.