Palm | Kelapa Sawit

Medan, Indonesia, March 29, 2011

National conference of civil society groups on a century of palm oil
plantation as an alternative and against celebration on a century of
economic achievement of the palm oil industry by GAPKI (Business
Association of Palm Oil) located in Medan was quite tense.

The people conference organized by 35 civil society groups and 200
supporters from grass roots in Indonesia was officially opened by
National Commision of Human Rights, KOMNAS HAM chairman, Ifdal Kasim,
27 March 2011, while the conference of GAPKI was opened by vice
minister of Agriculture, Bayu Krisnamurti, March 29, 2011.

The people conference shouted to stop the government plan to open 20
million hectares of oil palm which were proposed by GAPKI. The reasons
as written in the people declaration, the 8 million hectares
plantation have been destroying forests, conflicts with thousands of
peasant groups, destroying rice field, and is regarded as the biggest
contributor to carbon emissions because of peat land clearing.

GAPKI claims that 4.7 million hectares of oil palm are belongs to
corporation, and the remain, 3.3 million hectares of oil palm
plantations belongs to the peasant or smallholders. But from the
people conference perspective, proven by research, the 3.3 million
hectares are not belongs to the people. In fact, the owners are an
individual's political elite, bureaucracy and military, with an area
land from 50 hectares to 300 hectares. Thus, the term of peasants or
smallholders is mislead. The declaration stated they may say as
non-corporation owners, or Corporate-satellite owners.
The oil palm farmers joined in SPKS (Farmers' Union of Palm Oil) have
less than 10 hectares of land, or at most 2 hectares. Indonesia
government's official statistic stated that farmers in Indonesia have
land below 0.5 hectares.

Various attempts were made by GAPKI to cover up civil society
aspirations. Persons suspected to have links with GAPKI repeatedly
took down the banners of the people. In addition, at the time of
people conference, the police tried to disperse people's conferences,
but ultimately failed because the committee was able to show the
legality of the conference. The conference performed exactly in the
same place, different conference rooms with GAPKI.

On the last day of the people conference, about 700 participants of
the people groups perfomed rally from Representative building, Tiara
Hotel, and Governor Buiilding. Conflict was inevitable when theatrical
actions shown by people in front of the GAPKI conference, Tiara
Convention Hall. At the same time, the GAPKI conference having speech
by deputy minister of agriculture, Bayu Krisnamurthi, distracted by
the demonstration.

Media coverage witnessed very little of the people conference,
especially the TVs, which at that moment are in the both conference
places. Some media gave fair and balance coverage are Medan Bisnis
Daily, Detik.Com, Primaironline, Kompas.com, and Waspada. Other media
seen did not give balanced coverage.

Saurlin siagian
Executive Committee of the Alternative conference.