Government plans to open up the Mentawai islands for large-scale oil palm plantations using transmigrant labour have been around since the early 1990s. This is despite the fact that the island has been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and is occupied by the local indigenous population. The most recent plan was in late 1996, when the Governor of West Sumatra approved plans for a 70 000 ha oil palm plantation in the buffer zone of the Siberut National Park by the company PT Citra Mandiri Widya Nusa -owned by ex-Employment Minister Abdul Latif. In 1998, about 30 students managed to break up a “consultation meeting” between local political representatives, national authorities and the oil palm sector. They entered the building and spoke directly to the audience. They said that many transmigration schemes have created problems with indigenous communities and that the government used such schemes as a Trojan horses to exploit natural resources and deforest. They also said that the authorities should immediately withdraw all operating permits from oil palm companies as they have caused conflict and damaged the cultural and natural environment of the islands. The head of transmigration for West Sumatra said that he understood the demonstrators’ position and declared the meeting officially closed. The demonstrators accepted his statement and dispersed straight away. Protests by Indonesian and international groups have persuaded Ministers in Jakarta to block these developments so far. |
Name of conflict: | Siberut Oil Palm conflict, West Sumatra, Indonesia |
Country: | Indonesia |
State or province: | Mentawai islands (West Province) |
Location of conflict: | Siberut island |
Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Type of conflict. 1st level: | Biomass and Land Conflicts (Forests, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Management) |
Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Plantation conflicts (incl. Pulp Land acquisition conflicts |
Specific commodities: | Palm oil |
Project details | The Governor of West Sumatra approved plans for a 70 000 ha oil palm plantation in the buffer zone of Siberut National Park. |
Project area: | 70,000 |
Type of population | Rural |
Start of the conflict: | 1998 |
End of the conflict: | 1998 |
Company names or state enterprises: | PT Citra Mandiri Widya Nusa from Indonesia |
Relevant government actors: | Governor of West Sumatra, Head of transmigration for West Sumatra |
Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | University student group + local NGOs, World Rainforest Movement, Sawit Watch |
Intensity | LOW (some local organising) |
Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities Ethnically/racially discriminated groups Local university students. 90% of the Mentawais are Christian, whereas West Sumatra is 90% Muslim |
Forms of mobilization: | Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Street protest/marches Interruption of a meeting between local political representatives, national authorities and the oil palm sector. Participatory Mapping [2] |
Environmental Impacts | Potential: Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity) |
Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Loss of livelihood, Land dispossession, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Project Status | Unknown |
Conflict outcome / response: | Project cancelled |
Proposal and development of alternatives: | The demands of the protesters were as follows: - The Mentawai islands should become an official district as soon as possible so they were no longer administered as part of the mainland; - They refuse to be part of any Transmigration Programme schemes until the Mentawai islands were given district status; - The Transmigration Department must immediately rectify the problems on existing transmigration sites in the Mentawai islands; - The authorities should immediately withdraw all operating permits from PT Maharani Puri Citra Lestari, PT Citra Mandiri Widya Nusa and PT Sagu Siberut Perkasa, as these companies have caused conflict and damaged the cultural and natural environment of the island of Siberut. - All the Mentawai village heads and community representatives should be careful not to be deceived or misled by the pretext of development for the Mentawais at the expense of the indigenous community. |
Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
Briefly explain: | Protests by Indonesian and international groups have persuaded Ministers in Jakarta to block these developments so far (as of 1998). |
References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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Contributor: | J.-F. Gerber |
Last update | 18/08/2019 |
Conflict ID: | 1199 |