from our partners at Tabloid Jubi’s West Papua Daily
14 September 2014
Sorong, Jubi – Residents in Salfi Sub-district of Sorong South Regency rejected the local government’s plan to invite a palm oil plantation company to their area, said Customary Council community leaders.
“We absolutely reject it, because it would affect to the sustainability of our dense forest,” the Secretary of Sekanoi Customary Council Simson Sremere said. He further said the palm oil plantation would threat and damage the forest sustainability in their customary area.
“In addition, the deforestation for the palm oil plantation could threaten the habitat of various animals in our forest,” he said.
The presence of a palm oil company could have an adverse effect on the local economy and marginalise the local community as the company would tend to hire migrant employees.
Meanwhile, a youth leader from Sayal Vilalge, Maikel Ajamsaru asked the South Sorong Government to decline the MoU with the major investment companies who threat the ecosystem within other regions in South Sorong Regency. “Local government must review some agreements with the future investment companies,” Ajamsaru said. (Nees Makuba/rom)
Development of any sort bring with it harsh social problems. For example, racial conglicts, prostitution, land illegal land grabing, illegal migration, human smuggling, displacements of land owners, environment distruction and polution etc. So, development really means destruction and irreplaceable. Becarefully of inviting these disasters. It is a good stand not to invite the oil palm company to the area.
Ray Iningi.