he country’s national development plan should incorporate efforts to preserve the cultural values of indigenous communities or risk seeing local wisdom and traditions die out, according to the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI).
“Cultural values should be used to push regional development. We should not look at development solely from a modern perspective,” LIPI chairman Iskandar Zulkarnain said on Friday.
Iskandar pointed to the case of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) program in Papua, which was initiated in order to reach the country’s food self-sufficiency target.
MIFEE, which is expected to cover a 1.6 million-hectare area, has proven to be a tough project to implement, particularly because of land issues, as the multi-billion project threatens conservation areas such as virgin forests and water catchment areas, as well as the habitat of indigenous peoples in Papua.
“Rice is being developed in Papua, even though the locals consume sago [as their main food staple],” Iskandar said.
Iskandar urged the government to conduct social studies before executing development projects. “Without understanding the culture of local communities, we could steer the development the wrong way,” he said.
In a bid to boost economic growth, Indonesia is looking for a total of Rp 5.5 quadrillion in investment for infrastructure projects over the next five years, according to the 2015-2019 National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) released by the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas).
However, development projects have often led to disputes between companies and local communities, especially over communal land inhabited by locals for generations.
Last August, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the Batang power plant, which is being built on 226 ha of land in Central Java and is considered crucial to ensuring the electricity supply in Java.
However, local people, supported by environmental activists, have refused to give up their land, despite the government last year authorizing PLN to step in and enforce Law No. 2/2012 on land acquisition, which lets the government seize people's land for the sake of the public interest. (vps/bbn)
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