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Farmers stand their ground against factory
No cement plants: North Kendeng residents stage a rally in front of the Central Java Governor Hall in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday, demanding the local administration stop the construction of cement plans in Rembang, Pati and Grobogan
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span class="inline inline-center">No cement plants: North Kendeng residents stage a rally in front of the Central Java Governor Hall in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday, demanding the local administration stop the construction of cement plans in Rembang, Pati and Grobogan.(JP/Suherdjoko)
Hundreds of protesters coming from several villages in the Kendeng Mountain area erected what they called “a tent of struggle” at the gate of the Central Java governor’s office in Semarang as their protest against the establishment of a cement factory continues.
About 300 villagers went to the office of Governor Ganjar Pranowo on Monday by riding in open trucks from their villages. Bringing along posters stating their opposition to the cement factory, the farmers shouted statements and marched to the front gate of the governor’s office.
Their main demand was to keep the Kendeng Mountain range free of cement factories.
The protest followed the reported issuance of a new permit by the Central Java administration last month for a cement factory in Rembang operated by state-owned cement producer PT Semen Indonesia. The new permit came as a shock to the farmers following a Supreme Court ruling in October that had ordered a revocation of the old permit.
The construction of the factory is almost complete and it will be ready to start full operations next year. The protesters also expressed concerns over other planned cement plants in the Kendeng Mountain area, such as in Pati and Grobogan.
“There is a massive effort to destroy and exploit Kendeng Mountain for the sake of investment that would only benefit certain parties, but overlook the long-term impacts on the farmers’ livelihoods,” community leader Gunretno said during the protest on Monday.
The protesters, Gunretno said, planned to erect a tent every day until their demands are heard. They would comply with protest permits issued by the police, which only granted protest rights until 6 p.m., taking down the tent at that time and putting it back up the next day, he added.
The farmers had been staging protests against the cement factory in the Karst mountain area for almost three years because of fears it would damage the environment and dry up local springs, leading to drought and to local farmers losing their livelihoods.
The protest achieved national attention after several female farmers from the Kendeng Mountain area cemented their feet into boxes in front of the State Palace. The photographs of the women with their feet in the boxes became iconic images of farmer resistance in the country.
However, the villagers are not united as the plant has split the residents living around the factory into two camps: those who support it and those who oppose it. The pro camp says the factory has given them benefits, like employment for 1,200 construction workers.
In the continued action on Monday, the protesters demanded to meet with Governor Ganjar to ask him for an explanation about the permits.
However, Central Java’s top official, Siswo Laksono, said Ganjar is currently out of town for work and could only meet protesters on Thursday or Friday.
Furthermore, Gunretno also said that nobody from the Sedulur Sikep community, locally known as Wong Samin, had expressed support for or opposition to the development of a cement factory.
Gunretno said that as a senior figure in the Kendeng Mountain Range Caring Community Network (JMPPK) overseeing the four regencies of Rembang, Pati, Grobogan and Blora, he always stood at the front line of every rally held against the development of the cement factory.
Yet, as a Sedulur Sikep individual he continued obeying the teaching of Saminism founder Samin Surosentiko by being honest, not disturbing others, not being jealous and considering all people as brothers and sisters.
Meanwhile PT Semen Indonesia, which has invested a total of Rp 4.5 trillion (US$336 million) into the cement factory in Rembang, insisted that the development would not damage the environment. Instead, it said the factory would employ nearby residents and thus help make local people wealthier.
Ganjar has also denied that he issued a new permit for the cement factory in Rembang. He said that his administration issued an addendum regarding a change of name of the company from PT Semen Gresik to Semen Indonesia, the factory location and the water supply location. He claimed his administration had not made any decision about the factory following the Supreme Court’s ruling that favored the farmers.
