NGOs raise red flag over govt plan to lease islets

NGOs raise red flag over govt plan to lease islets

JAKARTA (JP): Several non-governmental organizations panned on
Wednesday the government's plan to lease thousands of uninhabited
islets to foreign investors.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) chairwoman Emmy
Hafild blasted the proposal as a desperate attempt by the
government to raise money from foreigners.

She warned the government would be unable to control the
exploitation of the areas once they were occupied.

"When people only rent a place, they won't be sufficiently
aware of the responsibility to take good care of it," Emmy told
The Jakarta Post.

"Take the Freeport (PT Freeport Indonesia in Irian Jaya) case,
for example. They feel they live in their own territory -- they
can dig up a mountain or dump their waste into the river at will.

"Even the government cannot enter their site without their
permission."

The Ministry of Maritime Exploration announced last month its
plan to put up some 10,000 uninhabited small islands across the
country for lease to foreigners. It argued that it would bring in
significant revenue for regions.

As a start, the ministry announced on Tuesday that between 100
and 200 islets in North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and Nusa
Tenggara would be leased.

Emmy also feared the islets could be used as transit points
for drug trafficking.

Mubariq Ahmad from Natural Resources Management (NRM) rejected
the project because it would sacrifice the interests of local
islanders.

"When the government licensed forest concessions to exploit
the forests, it was later found there were many tribespeople who
had lived in the areas for ages," Mubariq said.

"The locals then were kicked out from their own homes and
declared intruders."

He feared the same fate would befall the islanders.

He spoke to reporters following a news conference to announce
a planned national conference to seek a "handbook" on natural
resources exploitation. The three-day event will start on May 23.

Representatives of the government, non-governmental
organizations focusing on the environment, the business community
and scholars will participate in the conference.

National council coordinator of the Indonesian Traditional
Community Alliance (AMAN) Den Upa Rombelayuk, who attended the
media conference, shared Mubariq's view.

"The government will benefit foreigners at the expense of
local communities," Den Upa said.

Qualified support for the government's plan came from deputy
executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and
Advocacy (ELSAM), Sandra Moniaga. She said the plan was
acceptable but it still needed preliminary research to find out
whether the islets belonged to traditional communities.

She warned it would be wrong to assume the islets were not
part of local communities even if there were no permanent
settlements.

"Because even if the islets are uninhabited, they may have
been used as fishing sites by nearby islanders."

She said the plan should be tried on one or two islets to
determine the impact on the environment and nearby communities.
(08)