PONTIANAK – The Coalition of Civil Society for Equitable and Sustainable Spatial Planning evaluated the discussion of West Kalimantan Provincial Spatial Planning neglects the community rights. The community interest is always the target of several government development program where the community is precisely not represented.
Moreover, the coalition consists of Walhi Kalbar, LBBT, WWF-Indonesia Program Kalbar, PPSDAK, Lembaga Gemawan, PRCF, AMAN Kalbar, Kontak Borneo, Lanting Borneo, PERVASI, GMNI, IMM, FMN, FAMKI Sintang, KNPS, Serumpun, STSD Sambas, and STKR KKR assessed that the government tends to provide a widely service for the private investment by ignoring community rights on land.
The coordinator of the Coalition of Civil Society for Equitable and Sustainable Spatial Planning, Hermawansyah, stated that a long process of the revision is caused by conflict of interest on land use in Indonesia.”Well, in such push-pull process, the community interest tends to be neglected,” he said in Pontianak, Wednesday (18/1).
Whereas, according to Hermawansyah, the management practices on community land has been ongoing for long time, even from generation to generation. The category of cultivated and protected functions only emphasized on the kinds of allowed activity, which no particular category for the small community to freely conduct their economy activity.
He appended, there is a tendency that the cultivation area on dry land is the target of palm oil company in West Kalimantan. While the presence of field, rubber plantation, tembawang and other kinds of community management are not recognized by government. These lead to many land conflicts occured up to violence and criminalization lately.
“ One more thing, the discussion process of the Draft Regional Regulation for RTRWP has been submitted by Governor to West Kalimantan Provincial Legislative Council. Unfortunately, to this day the public consultation has not been held yet. The non-transparent process and minimum participation likely will neglect the indigenous and local community rights on land management,” Hermawansyah asserted.
He cited the information on advertisement of West Kalimantan Spatial Planning by Public Works Agency of West Kalimantan published on one of daily newspaper dated 16-17 January 2011. It is seen that the accomodation support for investment interest is truly great. In fact, several legislations associated with spatial planning entrust the protection of management rights on indigenous and local people land.
Hermawansyah stated, approximately 1,5 million hectares of community management area in West Kalimantan have been mapped participatory by civil society. More than 100 thousand hectares of forest area are being proposed for Village Forest by the community to the Forestry Department. The question comes up afterward, has the community management area been accomodated in RTRWP of West Kalimantan?
Examining the process of ongoing discussion on RTRWP of West Kalimantan today, we urge a transparent and participatory discussion process on RTRWP draft in either executive or legislative levels.
“We also demand RTRWP of West Kalimantan must clarify the status of land that to date has become the community management area in either cultivated or protected area,” he mentioned.
This coalition also demands that the RTRWP of West Kalimantan must protect the center area of community food production, and must not make it as a justified event of forest area violation conducted by Local Government over the investment of palm oil plantation and mining that have operated.
In addition, the Provincial and District Government are also demanded to maintain and enhance the ecosystem function of protected area that will be assigned in RTRWP in order not to trigger the widespread floods in West Kalimantan.
“Moreover, the Government must protect the wildlife habitat protected in either cultivated and protected areas in RTRWP,” he affirmed. (*/mnk)