Strategic Projects and Industrial Expansion Deemed a Threat to Citizens' Livelihoods

Community representatives from Bengkulu, South Sulawesi, and South Kalimantan have stated that industrial expansion and the implementation of national strategic projects continue to threaten the living spaces of residents. After various resolution efforts in their regions proved fruitless, they visited a number of ministries and institutions in Jakarta to request central government intervention to resolve the conflicts they are experiencing. These issues were raised at a press conference titled ‘Stop the Seizure of People’s Living Space in Seluma (Bengkulu), Tamalanrea (South Sulawesi), and Rantau Bakula (South Kalimantan)’ held by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) on Thursday (9/7). In Bengkulu, residents grouped under the Seluma United Farmers Forum claimed they have been struggling for about 15 years to reclaim land included in the cultivation rights title (HGU) of PT SIL. Various complaints have been submitted to the local government, the Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), and the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), but have yet to yield a resolution. ‘We, the United Farmers Forum community, want to be removed from the company’s HGU, their HGU reduced, and the community’s land returned to the community. That is where we have lived from the past until now,’ said Marlena from the Seluma United Farmers Forum. Meanwhile, residents of Tamalanrea, Makassar City, are rejecting the construction of a waste-to-energy power plant (PLTSa) planned for the middle of their residential area. They argue that the environmental impact assessment (Amdal) process did not involve the community that would be directly affected. ‘We are not rejecting the project. What we reject is the location. Please reconsider it because the distance to residents’ houses is only about one metre,’ said Sinar from the Makassar PLTSa Rejection Community Movement. In South Kalimantan, residents of Rantau Bakula Village complained about the impact of PT BDMMI/MMI’s coal mining activities, which have been ongoing since 2007. The mining activities are said to cause dust, noise, and vibrations, as well as reducing agricultural land productivity and affecting public health. ‘We have complained everywhere to fight for our rights that have been seized by the company, but so far there has been no follow-up,’ said Mariadi from the Rantau Bakula Citizens’ Alliance. WALHI’s Economic and Natural Resources Campaign Coordinator, Uli Arta Siagian, stated that the three cases demonstrate a common pattern of shrinking community living space due to development projects and industrial expansion that are deemed to ignore citizens’ rights. ‘These cases show that people’s living spaces continue to be threatened, whether by large-scale plantations, waste management projects, or mining. The community ultimately has to come to Jakarta because various efforts in the regions have not provided a resolution,’ she said. WALHI urged the government to evaluate various permits that trigger environmental and agrarian conflicts, ensure community participation in every licensing process, and restore the rights of residents affected by development projects and industrial expansion.