Prone to Set aside the Lives of Coastal Residents, Rempang Residents Refuse Evictions in Rempang Eco City
Residents on Rempang Island, Batam reject plans to eviction traditional villages for the Rempang Eco City megaproject. As coastal communities, they always feel left out in development policies in Batam.
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Mayor of Batam and Head of Batam Development Agency, Muhammad Rudi (center), is promoting the plan for integrated investment area development in Rempang Island, Batam, Riau Islands on Tuesday (22/8/2023).
BATAM, KOMPAS - The government plans to develop an integrated investment area on Rempang Island, Batam, Riau Islands. Residents support the government's efforts to develop the economy, but they remain firm in rejecting the eviction plan in the project.
The Mayor of Batam and Head of the Batam Development Agency (BP), Muhammad Rudi, stated his readiness to hold a dialogue with the residents of Pulau Rempang whenever needed. This was conveyed by Rudi when he met with representatives of the local residents at the sub-district office on Tuesday (22/8/2023).
Previously, residents repeatedly asked Rudi to come to Rempang. They asked the head of BP Batam to personally socialize the economic development plan on the island that will have an impact on evicting indigenous settlements.
“It's not that I don't dare (meet residents), but I don't know what want to say. Today, I (can) speak as it is because I have been given the authority (from the central government) to convey this," said Rudi.
According to the plan, an industrial, service, and tourism area will be built on Rempang Island. The project, called Rempang Eco City, which is being undertaken by PT Makmur Elok Graha (MEG), is aimed to attract investments of up to IDR 381 trillion by 2080.
PT MEG has been allocated a land area of 17,000 hectares covering the entire islands of Rempang and Subang Mas. Therefore, all residents of Rempang, numbering approximately 7,500 people, must be relocated.
The island of Rempang will be divided into seven different areas. These areas include industrial, agrotourism, residential, tourism, solar power generation, conservation, and cultural heritage areas.
In a meeting with several journalists on April 17, the commissioner and spokesperson of PT MEG, Fernaldi Anggadha, stated that PT MEG is a partner of BP Batam and the Batam City Government. PT MEG will assist the government in attracting many foreign or local investors to develop the economy on Rempang Island.
Fernaldi added that the residents of Pulau Rempang will be the top priority in the plan for developing the island. Work training centers will soon be built so that local residents can acquire the skills needed to fill job vacancies in the area.
However, residents still reject the plan to relocate for the development of Rempang. They feel that the government's decision to give all the land on the island to investors reflects an unsympathetic attitude towards the people.
Community figure of Pulau Rempang, Gerisman Ahmad, has repeatedly asserted that the residents support the plan for economic development. However, the residents are requesting that the government conduct the development without displacing the original village residents.
On Pulau Rempang, there are 16 old villages or settlements of indigenous people. The indigenous people, consisting of the Malay, Orang Laut, and Orang Darat tribes, are believed to have inhabited Pulau Rempang since at least 1834.
"We are not livestock that can be easily moved to a new location. As coastal communities, our lives depend on the sea. Who can guarantee that the environment in the new location will be able to sustain us?" said Gerisman on July 13th.
Community leader on Rempang Island, Gerisman Ahmad (64), spoke at the Rempang Eco City socialization forum on Rempang Island, Batam City, Riau Islands, on Friday (21/7/2023).
Victim of development
According to Gerisman, residents of Rempang have always been the victims of development policies in Batam City. After Batam-Rempang-Galang was designated as a free port area in the 1970s, all land on those islands was managed by BP Batam Agency.
The majority of residents on the three islands are only granted building-use rights. Property ownership certificates are only given to native residents on Batam Island. Even then, they must go through a lengthy verification process.
Recently, the government even declared that all land in Rempang is designated as conservation production forest (HPK). Residents who have inhabited the island for hundreds of years are considered to have settled illegally.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at the Raja Ali Haji Tanjung Pinang Maritime University, Muhammad Syuzairi, thinks that the government's attitude of not recognizing the legality of citizens has only made the conflict in Rempang more acute. The government has no right to declare residents living illegally because there is no court decision regarding this matter (Kompas, 22/8/2023).
Hundreds of residents blocked the bridge connecting Rempang Island and Batam Island, Riau Islands, on Monday (8/21/2023). They rejected the arrival of an integrated team from Batam who will measure the land for the purpose of developing an integrated investment zone.
On August 21, hundreds of residents blockaded the bridge connecting Rempang Island with Batam Island. They refused the arrival of the integrated team from Batam who would measure the land for the development of Rempang.
Residents are worried that the measurements will be used by the government as a basis for evicting their village. From the outset, the residents did not want to be relocated because they believed it would erode their identity as coastal Malay people.
According to Syuzairi, the total area of 16 native settlements in Rempang is less than 10 percent of the total area of the island, which reaches 17,000 hectares. Integrated investment development should still be possible without evicting residents.
"Integrated investment areas can be built alongside residential areas. This will also benefit investors because they will not need to incur large costs for compensating community land," said Syuzairi, who previously served as Assistant to the Government and Assistant to the Economic Development of the Batam City Government."
Also read: BP Batam Prepares Relocation Plan, Rempang Island Residents Refuse
Fishermen are preparing to sail off the coast of Melayu Beach, Rempang Island, Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday (11/5/2023). The government has handed over the management of the 16,583-hectare island to PT Makmur Elok Graha.
Bound by agreement
Responding to the refusal of relocation plans, Rudi stated that Pulau Rempang must still be emptied. The agreement on the development of Rempang has been agreed by BP Batam, the Batam City Government, and PT MEG as the regional developer since 2004.
"The previous mayor was not me. As the current mayor, I will do my best. If there is anything that I can improve, I will do it," he said.
Rudi understands the feelings of residents who have lived for centuries in Pulau Rempang. He promises that the relocation process will be done carefully and thoroughly.
"I am waiting for the president's decision to save the citizens by issuing compensation of IDR 120 million per house. If the presidential decision is issued, relocation can begin," he said.
Rudi added that the relocation process will begin once all facilities have been completed. In addition to housing, the government will also prepare pipelines, electricity, roads, telecommunications, and fisherman docks.
On August 13th, the Investment Minister as well as the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board, Bahlil Lahadalia, reviewed the development plan for Rempang Island. During the visit, Bahlil also had a dialogue with the residents.
"I understand what the aspirations of the community are. However, I ask that the community also understand the goals of the country," he said in a written statement.
According to the plan, relocated residents will receive compensation of 500 square meters of land and a type 45 house worth IDR 120 million. Residents will also receive a building usage certificate.
Also read: Land Conflict in Rempang Tapered, Government Asked to Hear Citizens' Aspirations
