T

he People'€™s Coalition for Equal Fisheries (Kiara) and the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen'€™s Association (KNTI) have registered a petition at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) against governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama for issuing a gubernatorial decree giving developer PT Muara Wisesa Samudra a permit to build a man-made islet, known as Islet G, off Jakarta'€™s coast.

Kiara'€™s law and policy advocacy deputy Marthin Hadiwinata said Tuesday that the permit violated the rights of the fishermen in Muara Angke and Muara Baru, who relied on the North Jakarta coastal area to catch fish.

'€œThe affected fishermen and all residents living on the coastal area have never been invited to any talk about the plan by the city administration. How could he issue the decree? There should be a public discussion before the issuance,'€ Marthin told reporters at the PTUN office in East Jakarta.

In December last year, Ahok issued a permit, based on Governor Decree (SK) No. 2238/2014 on the Permission for the Reclamation of Island G, for the subsidiary of publicly listed developer Agung Podomoro Land (APL).

The permit itself is part of the city'€™s controversial coastal reclamation project to create 17 man-made islands in 2,700 hectares of sea along Jakarta'€™s 32-kilometer long northern coast.

Other developers involved in the reclamation besides Muara Wisesa Samudera include city-owned PT Jakarta Propertindo and PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, publicly listed PT Intiland Development and developer Agung Sedayu Group'€™s subsidiary PT Kapuk Naga Indah (KNI).

Governor Ahok said that thus far, only two firms had received a gubernatorial decree to begin construction, and those were Muara Wisesa Samudera and KNI.

KNI has been constructing an artificial island to the north of (Pantai Indah Kapuk) PIK. The gubernatorial decree for KNI, Ahok said, had been approved years earlier by then governor Fauzi Bowo.

According to data from Kiara, the reclamation project has impacted about 16,855 fishermen along the north coast, crippling their livelihoods and their ability to fish in the sea.

KNTI Jakarta chairman Muhammad Taher said that in Muara Angke alone, the reclamation had caused 500 fishermen to suffer losses.

'€œThe fishermen now can earn only a maximum of Rp 30,000 (US$2.08) to Rp 40,000 per day. How can such an amount cover their daily needs?'€ he asked, adding that before the reclamation project the fishermen could earn around Rp 300,000 to Rp 400,000 per day.

Taher said that out of the 500 traditional fishermen in Muara Angke, 150 had switched occupations to become garbage collectors. '€œMany of them have also switched to driving ojek [motorcycle taxis] or opening bike washing businesses,'€ he said.

Kiara'€™s Marthin further argued that Ahok had violated legal procedures, saying that the decree contradicted Law No. 32/2009 on environmental protection and management, Law No. 26/2007 on spatial planning and Law No.27/2007 on the management of coastal zones.

'€œUntil now, the residents [living in the area affected by Muara Wisesa Samudera] haven'€™t received copies of the Amdal [environmental impact analysis],'€ he said.

Meanwhile, Ahok said that all firms that had received a permit to start construction had obtained the Amdal.

The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) regretted the way the city administration had dealt with the reclamation project.

'€œThe local government should be transparent to the residents. If they ignore the public, can we say that the project is for the sake of people'€™s welfare? Or only for the welfare of developers?'€ PBHI Jakarta lawyer Eka Prasetya said.

However, Ahok said that he supported the fishermen'€™s suit against the gubernatorial decree in order to '€œclear up the rumors'€ on land reclamation.

'€œThere are many negative rumors on land reclamation. If the issue is taken into court, the authorities will judge and determine whether or not it is wrong,'€ he said.

He further said that land reclamation was necessary, especially around Jakarta'€™s polluted north coast. Ahok said that land reclamation could help purify polluted water and pointed out that such a technique had been proven effective in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (foy)