JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto's statement about the expansion of oil palm plantations, including by deforestation or deforestation, has drawn controversy. This statement, according to the founder of Indonesian Climate Justice Literacy, is a bad signal for the management of natural resources (SDA) in the country.
During a speech at the National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas) in Jakarta on December 30, 2024, Prabowo claimed palm oil was a strategic material and many countries were afraid of not being able to get palm oil.
Therefore, according to President Prabowo, Indonesia needs to increase the planting of palm oil. He claims, palm oil causes deforestation is a false claim.
"You don't have to be afraid, what's that saying is dangerous, deforestation, the name is palm oil, right?" Prabowo said.
"It's true, oil palm is a tree, there are leaves, right? He absorbs carbon dioxide. How come we are accused of being content (not-not) just those people," he continued.
Forest and plantation campaigner Wahana Uli Arta Siagian admitted that he was surprised by the statement that palm oil was not directly connected to deforestation from the mouth of a president.
Meanwhile, Firdaus Cahyadi, founder of Indonesian Climate Justice Literacy, said Prabowo's statement that the development model under his command did not have an adequate vision of the environment.
"Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's statement to continue to expand oil palm land without fear of forest destruction is a bad signal for natural resource management (SDA) in Indonesia," said Firdaus Cahyadi in a statement received by VOI.
Firdaus added, from Prabowo's statement, it can be seen that the concept of development offered is based on the difficulty of thinking in looking at environmental and development issues.
The mental impairment in question is to view humans as the center of the universe. The consequence is that it views nature as only a tool for the sake of human economic interests," he added.
In addition, said Firdaus, the human economic interests that sacrifice nature preservation are a handful of economics-politicals in the extractive industry, such as plantations and large-scale mining. Meanwhile, the majority of residents will become victims of the development model that destroys nature.
In addition to ecological threats, Firdaus also highlighted the no less serious social impacts. The extractive development offered by Prabowo has the potential to increase agrarian conflicts with local communities.
The Agrarian Update Consortium (KPA) released data showing that agrarian conflicts related to palm oil expansion continue to increase. In 2023, there were at least 108 eruptions of agrarian conflicts in the plantation sector where 88 cases were caused by plantations and the palm oil industry.
"If it continues, it will only leave natural damage, human rights or human rights violations, and poverty for local communities," he said.
Therefore, he invited the public to speak up to urge President Prabowo Subianto to stop promoting extractive development models that damage nature, violate human rights and impoverish local communities.
"The public must not remain silent on the extractive development model promoted by President Prabowo Subianto. If it is silent, the public itself will be the victims," he said.
A similar opinion was also made by the Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University and the Chair of the Indonesian Biological Cosortium (KOBI), Prof. Budi Setiadi Daryono. According to him, Prabowo's statement that equates oil palm with natural forest plants is a mistake.
He emphasized that the addition of oil palm plantations risks destroying forests or deforestation and biodiversity. A number of studies, said Budi, show that oil palm plantations cannot be a habitat for wildlife, with almost zero biodiversity levels.
"Main palm plantations are extensive and monocultural in nature to enlarge the conflict between humans and wildlife. This has an impact on the decline in the population of protected animals, such as orangutans, elephants, rhinos, and Sumatran tigers. In addition, deforestation due to the opening of oil palm land is increasingly threatening the flora and fauna that have been protected by law," Budi said, quoted from the UGM website.
He reminded President Prabowo to carry out Presidential Instruction Number 5 of 2019 concerning Termination of the Granting of New Permits and Improvement of Governance of Primary Natural Forests and Peat Lands.
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"From the Presidential Instruction, an area of 66.2 million Ha natural forests and peatlands or the area of the French country can be saved from damage," he said.
Prabowo's statement that equates oil palm plants with forest plants also misleads the public, according to Budi. Because, in the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number P.23/2021 it is explained that palm oil does not include forest and land rehabilitation plants.
He also asked the president to be more careful in expressing opinions so as not to reap pros and cons in society. Budi suggested that the mechanism for the policy preparation plan, especially those that have a major impact on society and the environment and have global implications, should be carried out by Bappenas by involving various parties.
"That way, the impact of new policies can be predicted, both for the interests of the community, the environment and the economy nationally," said Budi again.
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