Merauke – Voices of opposition and resistance to the government’s problematic national strategic projects (PSN) have echoed from Merauke, which is being targeted by irrigated rice field and sugar cane projects that are legacy of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s administration, and are now being continued by President Prabowo Subianto.
The Merauke declaration was launched by indigenous peoples and people who have fallen victims to the projects, as well as those struggling against the arbitrariness of PSN programs and projects that damage the environment and nature.
"We demand a complete end to PSNs and other projects in the name of the national interest which clearly sacrifice the ordinary people. The perpetrators of the crimes, the state and corporations, are obliged to return all the wealth stolen from the people and immediately restore the health and living space of the people in all regions that were sacrificed in the name of the national interest", read an excerpt from the declaration read out by representatives at the Merauke Solidarity Consolidation Conference in Merauke, the provincial capital South Papua on March 14.
The declaration was the result of the Merauke Solidarity consolidation meeting which took place on March 11-14 in the city of Merauke.
The four-day consolidation was attended by more than 250 indigenous peoples and local communities affected by PSNs as well as various civil society organisations, who gathered to share stories as a collective experience about state and corporate crimes and violence by the military and police.
The people who attended represented peoples affected by food estate projects in North Sumatra, Central Kalimantan as well as the Keerom, Merauke and Mappi regencies in Papua.
Also represented were people from the Rempang Eco City project in the Riau Islands, the Nusantara new Capital City Project (IKN) in East Kalimantan, the Poco Leok geothermal project in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the extractive energy and bioenergy forest industry in Jambi, various PSN projects in Fakfak and the Bintuni Bay in West Papua and those affected by the expansion of oil palm plantations throughout Papua.
National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Chairperson Atnike Sigiro, who was present at the declaration, said that in 2020-23 the commission received at least 114 complaints over cases related to PSNs which allegedly violated human rights in various forms.
She said that Komnas HAM had submitted a number of recommendations to relevant ministries and institutions.
"[But] in fact, Komnas HAM's recommendations are not always followed, but it is very important to make recommendations. Because if not, we would not be following up on what the community is complaining about to the government or to the responsible party", said Sigiro following the declaration.
Nevertheless, said Sigiro, the commission as an institution needs to apologise to the public if it is felt that it has not been quick to produce such recommendations. Because, she continued, the cases that are reported are often more related to policies rather than law enforcement.
Meanwhile, Deputy Human Rights Minister Mugiyanto Sipin, who was also present at the declaration, chose not to debate the issues raised by participants at the consolidation.
"I won’t debate what was said by the ladies and gentlemen and comrades. I’ll wrap up what was conveyed as input for us, because it is indeed our responsibility to take it back to Jakarta and coordinate with the ministries and institutions related to the PSNs", said Mugiyanto when faced by protests against him by participants at the consolidation.
Merauke's Solidarity coordinator Franky Samperante said that the declaration was the start of a fight back against the destruction of the lives and living space of affected communities.
"Our next task is to build the Merauke Solidarity movement and continue to reject and fight against PSNs as well as other projects in the name of the national interest that clearly sacrifice the ordinary people, then urge the perpetrators of state and corporate crimes to return and restore the people's living space in all regions that have been sacrificed in the name of the national interest, which actually only benefit a handful of people", said Samperante.
Since the issuance of Presidential Decree Number 3/2016 on the Acceleration of PSN Development, instead of bringing prosperity to the people, these projects have actually triggered a myriad of problems. Especially, for indigenous peoples who have for generations had rights and control over land and forests that are the source of their livelihoods.
The problems that arose due to these PSN projects are now being repeated by Prabowo, who recently designated 77 PSNs. Although a number of Widodo-era projects have been crossed off the PSN list, the threat of land grabs and theft of living space and violations of community rights have not immediately disappeared.
A Komnas HAM report stated that PSNs are not human rights friendly and have caused various forms of human rights violations. The characteristics of PSNs, which the government wants to implemented quickly, have robbed the ordinary people of their basic rights, especially the right to land as a human right.
PSNs have also violated many norms and legal provisions, resulting in the obstruction and violation of human rights, both in terms of process and substance.
The report stated that the implementation of PSNs have been carried out without involving the ordinary people who better understand their needs and their region. In the end, this has triggered an eruption of agrarian conflicts.
A repressive approach in conflict-ridden PSN areas continue to add to the record of human rights violations in Indonesia. Environmental permits and Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) mechanisms that should be instruments for environmental control are not functioning properly.
Based on its end of year report, the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) recorded that from 2020 to 2024, at least 103 thousand women lost their livelihoods due to land grabs in the name of PSNs.
Damage to water sources, the loss of food sources such as sago, vegetables growing in the forest, fish and various sources of protein in rivers and the sea, forces women to buy ingredients for food so household expenses continue to rise.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Masyarakat Terdampak PSN Deklarasikan Solidaritas Merauke Tolak Perampasan Tanah dan Ruang Hidup".]
