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TEMPO.CO, Batam - Recent statements made by the Batam Development Authority or BP Batam during a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) have ignited strong opposition from residents who continue to vehemently reject the Rempang Eco-City project. Residents assert that BP Batam's claims, particularly regarding the limited number of residents rejecting the national strategic project (PSN), are entirely false.
This frustration manifested in a public demonstration on Wednesday afternoon, December 4, 2024, in Kampung Sembulang Hulu, Pulau Rempang. Hundreds of Malay residents gathered to voice their opposition, displaying banners that read "Reject PSN Rempang Eco-City."
“These are merely representatives from each village, not the entire community,” emphasized one resident.
The residents issued a formal rebuttal to BP Batam's statements. “One, we, the people of Rempang Island, still and will continue to reject the development of the Rempang Eco-City, along with any form of relocation or displacement. Two, we affirm that BP Batam's data grossly misrepresents the actual conditions within the five villages designated for the first phase of the project. Three, we demand that BP Batam publicly disclose the precise data regarding the number of residents who have consented to relocation. Four, we implore the Indonesian public to offer their prayers, support, and solidarity in our struggle to safeguard the sea, the land, and the ancestral villages that have been entrusted to our care, and to reject the Rempang Eco-City development.”
Residents Emphasize Majority of Rempang Residents Persist in Opposition
Prior to the DPR hearing, BP Batam presented its assessment of the ongoing agrarian conflict surrounding the PSN Rempang Eco-City. According to the agency's report, 433 households have consented to relocation out of a total of 961 households affected in the first phase. Of these, 219 households have already relocated to temporary housing, while 41 households have moved into permanent relocation units.
“Basically, the residents' rights have been duly acknowledged and are even enshrined in a Presidential Decree. Disagreements indeed persist on the ground, as is inevitable in any project, but the population opposing this project is a very small minority,” Sudirman Saad, Head of the Region and Investment Division, stated during the hearing.
However, residents refute these claims as "hurtful and deceptive", perceiving them as attempts to intimidate the community.
“Several statements made by BP Batam during the esteemed forum of the DPR hearing with Commission VI are public lies,” asserted the United Rempang Community Alliance (AMAR-GB) in a press release.
Ishak, General Coordinator of AMAR-GB, further emphasized the discrepancy between BP Batam's data and the reality on the ground.
“We have collected and analyzed comparative data, based on the data we gathered from the first phase of five villages, and the disparities are too far,” Ishak told the media after holding the protest.
He explained that based on calculations conducted by village officials and manual counts performed by residents, the total number of households affected in the first phase of development across the five villages is approximately 700. However, only 162 households have been relocated and received relocation assistance.
“518 households have yet to be relocated, far from BP Batam's claim that 433 households have consented to relocation,” Ishak clarified.
He challenged BP Batam to compare data and publicly disclose the detailed data on the number of residents who have agreed to relocation. “We are hurt and disappointed by statements that portray us as a marginalized minority opposing the project,” he lamented.
Rempang Residents Request to be Invited to DPR
Ishak, on behalf of the Rempang residents, expressed hope that the DPR would conduct on-site investigations or invite community representatives to their offices. The community, he emphasized, is eager to present the factual realities on the ground.
“Because the DPR is the people's representative, we urge them to conduct on-site visits or invite our representatives to their offices to clarify BP Batam’s data. We hope that the DPR will truly uphold its mandate as the people's representatives while recognizing that BP Batam is merely a partner,” Ishak concluded.
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