InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – In another first, the other now. Back to the 90s when passing by the way from Samarinda – Balikpapan, Taman Hutan Rakyat (Tahura) Bukit Suharto in East Kalimantan warmly took us. The Bengkirai and meranti highly grew, as they swept the nature to warm up our nature. It was cold and clean wind. And the wild animals were still around on the roadside.

Ahh.. rethinking it, there will be much story to tell that will ease use to argue, compare with what now happens. Deforestation really happens in the wilderness of East Kalimantan which is pressed by modern life style fulfilment demands.

The fire in the forests and areas never happened in every year in the former protected forest of Bukit Suharto. Slowly but surely, it reduced the function as mixed forest Dipterocarpaceae in low land, beach forest, bushes, and reeds.

It is no wonder, reeds were always found by the roadside on Samarinda – Balikpapan when it was dry season. But talking about deforestation, besides natural factor – the drought, it needs to discuss deforestation phenomenon as intentional and unintentional exploitation by men. Everything, if realized or not, was done on behalf of people’s economic rights optimization, right?

For many years ago, in East Kalimantan, besides high commercial wood products, Tahura Bukit Suharto where it had coal inside, was effectively to be taken to support regional development fund, including deforestation in tahura which was used as the high way of Samarinda – Balikpapan. It is the pride for being the first high way in Kalimantan.

It is believed, the activity will be positive and negative. Deforestation, mining in East Kalimantan for many years ago seemed being ignored but run until now.

By this point, we meet the term ‘deforestation’. One thing for sure, in a split of second, it delivers high dynamic fight. Environmental issues come up namely in the world pressure to renewable energy demands as the substitution of limited fossil energy in the natural forests of East Kalimantan.

The future challenges may mean demands- if the government should immediately provide renewable energy by not conducting ‘deforestation’ in natural forests. But will it be possible? This is our same work which will not be easy, right?

In the reverse, it will be normal if the meaning of renewable energy demands should be able to postpone climate change rate, which is already triggered by fossil energy carbon pollution massively. We surely agree that for the reasons, right?

Public doctrine about environmental issue perspective should test our next logic. Is it true that deforestation postpone decarbonization process? And has it solution to evaluate?

Nowadays democracy life will automatically be crowded by delivering arguments. One thing for sure, there will be pro and contra. From here, the term of ‘deforestation’ will have kinds of definition that everyone of us should understand. Eventually it will enable to get perception to fully support to interpret the term ‘exploitation’.

In the end of discussion, there will be more complex, right? When we get the word ‘palm oil’ as the keyword to responsibility burden on massive deforestation in Indonesia, the realization, of course, by telling negative perception, that is, palm oil squirm in Indonesia has been taken to postpone decarbonization process and stimulate the future climate change rate.

That is why, it may raise massive claim that palm oil industrial invasion should stop once for good.

In facts, deforestation in Indonesia can be minimized and could drastically reduce up to 75% in 2019 – 2020. The government announced that the decreasing deforestation was from gross deforestation of plantation forests up to 99%, from 277.700 hectares in 2018-2019 to be only 2.181 hectares in 2019-2020.  This should become massive public campaign in social media @madaniberkelanjutan.id

This is good news, right? It means, there are solutions about deforestation issues to be living together with any exploitation, right?

The numbers above are few data to ease us to compare palm oil squirm in the old days and now. In the end, it may enable us to be wiser, agile to accommodate every nowadays life interest for our future.

The estuary is, faster or later, palm oil squirm should be able to create ideal economic system which is regulated in Constitutional Chapter 33 (4), which is, the economy should be based on economic democracy. The realization will be able to apply the principles of togetherness, efficiency, justice, sustainability, environmental insight, independence, and maintain a balance of progress and national economic equity.

Few descriptions in Tahura Suharto East Kalimantan could be the latest portrait which could be the same in many regions in our country that has something to do with cause and effect of economic democracy application mentioned before.

It is happening and being struggled for to be interpreted in any exploitation, including in palm oil industries, right?

To understand every deforestation dynamic which is the attention in Indonesia’s palm oil squirm, we should get the same perception to discuss about economic democracy contexts. They provide space for massive economic interests in Indonesia.

The questions remain, will we be sitting together to know that it is good to have the same economic democracy from palm oil industries massively? Will we be able to consider palm oil contribution which is vital to develop Indonesia in wider perspective? Shall we?

By: Alfian Arbi

Nominator Sawit Fest 2021 Kategori Lomba Esai / has been edited; for more details, please go to s 

About Sawit Fest :

Sawit Fest 2021 supported to escalate palm oil literacy for the people in public and young generations in special to deliver whole description about palm oil industries. It was also to deliver the right understanding about palm oil contribution to countries, social, and environment.

Sawit Fest 2021 was supported by Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (PFMA), Bumitama Gunajaya Agro Group, Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), Asian Agri Group, PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk, and PT Cisadane Sawit Raya Tbk., with the strategic media partners, Media InfoSAWIT and Palm Oil Magazine.

Sawit Fest took every stakeholder, such as, government, businessmen, researhcers, organizations, social and environmental activists, and others to discuss and develop sustainable palm oil in Indonesia.

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