InfoSAWIT, LABUHANBATU – Member of Commission IV Indonesian Legislators, Daniel Johan was sorry about the permit of palm oil mill of PT Pulo Padang Sawit Permai (PPSP) in the Regency of Labuhanbatu, North Sumatera Province. It was suspected to deliver losses for the local. He said this after some activists had to be arrested when they did protest to the operation of the mill.
He said that the government should confirm every mill permit namely about the environmental analysis and impacts. They should be the same with every procedure. “The government should make sure if the permits of the mill have been qualified, namely about environmental analysis and impacts. Do not let the mill operation deliver losses for the local,” he said, Monday.
The issue started when the mill construction was said to make the local uncomfortable in the Village of Pulo Padang, Sub district of Rantau Utara. The local thought, they were not involved when it was decided to construct the mill. It was informed that the construction was about to make housing for the people. The mill is next to school and it was the focus because the operation of the mill disturbed the students and polluted the environment around. Besides, the mill was said to make air pollution, the waste polluted the wells and rivers in the region.
On May 20th, 2024, the villagers and some others did protest about the operataion of the mill of PT PPSP. It ended by arresting some activists, including Tina boru Rambe, the female activist that really protested about it. even though some activists were postponed to be arrested, boru Rambe is now still in jail. Her plea to get pre-trial was not decided yet.
Back to Daniel Johan, he said, it would need to evaluate the operation of the mill. If the mill is proven to damage the environment and threatens the life of the society, the government should firmly act, not arrest the local that protested it. “The legal enforcement should be neutral and transparent. Do not let the villagers be criminalized for they claimed their rights,” he said, as InfoSAWIT quoted from Teropongsenayan.com, Tuesday (10/9/2024).
The protests to the mill of PT PPSP have been running since 2017 but there is no solution. The villagers claimed the relocation of the mill as the solution but the company rejected it because it only derived from few people.
Daniel continued, the same issue always happens in others about conflict between the local and palm oil companies. “Legal enforcement should be transparent. The local should be fairly treated,” he said.
He also said that it would be significant to get restorative justice approach to solve the conflict by having dialogue and mediation that involved many parties. “This would be significant to create the balance between economic development and environmental conservation,” Daniel said. (T2)
