The government is evicting indigenous communities’ lands, gardens and houses. Land compensation is only Rp 30,500 per square meter.
By FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN
The construction of the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, has been ongoing until Sunday (25/8/2024). The dam, which stands on approximately 700 hectares of land, is the largest in NTT. The construction budget is around Rp 1.4 trillion.
The construction of the dam has been characterized by rejection since the discourse began in 2001. Having stalled, the discourse was rolled out again in 2015 as one of the National Strategic Projects. President Joko Widodo visited the dam in December 2023.
An indigenous woman shows a stretch of their land taken by the government for the construction of the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as seen on Wednesday (21/8/2024). The land seems to have been taken by force.
The Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara is under construction as of Wednesday (21/8/2024). The dam is one of the national strategic projects. The construction budget is around Rp 1.4 trillion.
An indigenous woman from Rendubutowe Village affected by the construction of the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as seen on Wednesday (21/8/2024). They lost their farmlands, cattle grazing areas, and houses.
Faced with a government that has various authorities and powers, indigenous peoples are made helpless. Those who tried to defend their land received intimidation and physical violence.
The community was divided into groups that were pro and contra the dam construction. This deliberately designed divide created horizontal conflicts that still occur to this day.
An indigenous woman washes clothes in the river that will later flow into the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as seen on Wednesday (21/8/2024). The area around the river will be vacated.
This residential area will be submerged due to the construction of the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as of Wednesday (8/21/2024). The residents are unable to resist the government’s pressure to take their land.
The road leading to Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as seen on Wednesday (21/8/2024). On the side of the road, indigenous people used to build their houses that were displaced by the construction of the dam.
Plants were displaced for the construction of the Mbay Lambo Dam in Nagekeo Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara as seen on Wednesday (21/8/2024). Many of them are economically valuable plants such as pandanus and enau.
After successfully taking over the community’s land, the government is considered to have unilaterally determined the value of the asset. The government called it compensation while the community considered the value to be meaningless. The price of one meter of land is only IDR 30,500.
Communities are now struggling to get fair compensation but are hindered by various convoluted procedures. They even have to deal with the courts. Many are in danger of losing their rights.
Editor: Iwan Setiawan
Source: Kompas.id
Link: https://www.kompas.id/baca/foto/2024/08/25/perempuan-penjaga-tanah-adat-dari-rendubutowe
