PALMOILMAGAZINE, PALANGKARAYA – Concerns are growing over repeated incidents of palm oil plantation pillaging in Central Kalimantan. Agustin Teras Narang, a member of the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia, along with the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), has called on the government to address the issue urgently.
Teras Narang, who served as Governor of Central Kalimantan from 2005 to 2015, stressed the importance of resolving the situation. “We urge the central, regional, regency, and village governments to take immediate action,” he stated in Palangka Raya on Wednesday. He emphasized the need for dialogue between the government, companies, and local communities to identify the root causes, perpetrators, and reasons behind the ongoing incidents.
He further noted that the government plays a crucial role, as it is responsible for issuing operational permits to palm oil companies. Therefore, the government must ensure a stable investment climate in the province. “Law enforcement must step in and ensure justice is served,” he added, as quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com from Antara on Thursday (5/9/2024).
Also Read :
In another place, Chairman of IPOA Central Kalimantan, Syaiful Panigoro said that palm oil plantation pillage in the province was not the new thing but it happened for too long. He said, the pillage was not pure action as the people’s demand but as the target by some parties that took advantages on the situation and it was well organized.
“Some organized groups conducted the pillage and it was not about what the people claimed for,” Syaiful Panigoro said. Even though there might be lack about permits that some companies should have, the pillage could not be the reason to let the crime happen.
As palm oil plantation organization for stakeholders, IPOA hoped there would be firm actions from the legal officers and the government about the issue. “The country has to win the case. It needs the legal officials to protect the investments in Central Kalimantan,” Panigoro emphasized.
He also mentioned the pillage happened again in some companies, such as, in PT Mitra Karya Agroindo (MKA) in the Regency of Kotawaringin Timur, and in PT Bangun Jaya Alam Permai (BJAP). The thefts came with pickup cars, forced to get into the plantations, and forced to harvest fresh fruit bunch. Their crime raised fear for the workers and be negative for their income and palm oil production in the future.
The continuous pillages, he continued, would deliver losses not only for the workers but also for the companies. It would be potentially minimizing the revenue from the taxes. They brutal pillages also damaged the plants which eventually would decrease the production.
“The pillages happened not in one plantation but hardly took place in every plantation,” Panigoro said while emphasizing the urgency to solve the case seriously. (P2)
