Mukomuko Regency Government Asks Palm Oil Companies To Respect Indigenous

Atmosphere at the Investment Office and One Stop Integrated Service at Mukomuko Regency, Tuesday (9/5/2023). (ANTARA/Ferri)

BENGKULU - The Investment and One Stop Integrated Service Office of Mukomuko Regency, Bengkulu Province, asked all palm oil plantation companies operating in this area to respect customs in this area to prevent conflicts with the local community. "We ask all companies to respect customs in the area around their business location to prevent conflicts with the community," said Head of the Investment and One Stop Integrated Service Office of Mukomuko Regency, June Kurniadiana in Mukomuko, Antara, Tuesday, May 9. He said this was related to the arrest of a resident who worked as a collector of palm brodolan which fell from his trunk by the security unit of an oil palm plantation company and handed it over to the police. The arrest of residents by the company's security guard had provoked the anger of hundreds of other residents who did not accept the company's actions. He said the company's action to arrest residents who collected palm oil brondola in the company's land was appropriate but incomplete. "The company should have submitted a notification first to the residents' families before being handed over to the police so that the family does not feel lost," he said. He said the tradition of residents in the area is if there are residents who are missing, then they are jointly looking for their whereabouts. In addition, he said, in this area no one forbids taking fruit that has fallen from its trunk, including palm brondolan which fell from its trunk. "So far, residents who have oil palm plants have never prohibited other residents from collecting brondolan that fell from their stems," he said. For this reason, he suggested that light problems should be resolved in accordance with customs in this area, except for these problems related to the interests of many people's lives. Regarding local residents who work as collectors of palm brondola, he suggested that they should obey the rules by asking permission from oil palm plantation owners.

"They should obey the applicable rules. If you want to take the palm oil brondola, you should say goodbye to the person," he also said.