Peat land project
Peat land project
The facts show that the one-million hectare peat land
development project has totally failed. Billions of rupiah have
gone down the drain. The nation has suffered losses several times
over; we have lost natural resources and the biodiversity of
millions of hectares of land. Included are millions of cubic
meters of wood (these are the comparatively easier calculated
resources) wiped away by companies with timber felling permits.
The one-million hectare peat land project is more aptly named the
one-million hectare peat land destruction project.
So where did all the timber and the trading profits go to? No
less than the acting governor of Central Kalimantan raised the
matter recently. If the timber was sold for US$15 per cubic meter
(about Rp 109,500 at US$1 = Rp 7,300), and if the timber felled
amounted to 10 million cubic meters (one hectare yields 10 cubic
meters of timber) how many trillion rupiah would we get?
Finally, and most importantly, we suffer an uncountable
humanitarian loss when a civilization of indigenous people or
locals who have lived in harmony with nature is destroyed; at
least 800,000 inhabitants were moved for the project.
While State Minister of Environment Soni Keraf has stated that
his priority in his first 100 days will be efforts for legal
settlement of large-scale cases such as PT Inti Indorayon Utama,
PT Freeport Indonesia and the peat land development project, we
hope the minister has the capacity and power to settle the cases
in the shortest possible time. The minister should closely study
law enforcement attempts, such as demands for compensation for 49
people from Batunjung Kapuas, a suit which they won in court.
A more strategic issue is the lawsuit of the Indonesian
Environmental Forum (Walhi) against the President of the Republic
of Indonesia and nine ministers for abuse of power in the peat
land project which has brought on disastrous effects
economically, socially and culturally, and also in regard to the
environment.
The minister should make transparent efforts made toward legal
settlements pertaining to the violators.
HENING PURWATI
Jakarta