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Explainer: Rempang conflict reveals weak land ownership system in Indonesia
Jakarta had abandoned island development for decades before recent investment arrived from China.
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Representatives of the Melayu indigenous community protest on September 18, 2023, in Dumai, Riau Islands, against the government's plan to relocate residents of Rempang island to make way for a city development project. (Antara/Aswaddy Hamid)
I
n the last few weeks, residents of Rempang, an island that is part of Batam, Riau Islands province, have been evicted to make way for a government megaproject, leading to protests.
The rushed project, which is funded by Chinese investment that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo secured during his trip to Beijing in July, has forced thousands of islanders to leave the place that they have called home for decades.
The conflict has been worsened by the fact that most of the islanders do not possess land certificates to prove ownership.
Where is Rempang Island?
Rempang is a 17,000-hectare island located about 44 km from Singapore. The island is part of the Batam municipality, which includes Batam, Rempang, Galang (Barelang) as well as several small islands. As a special economic zone, the development of Batam has been managed under the Batam Development Authority (BP Batam).
Rempang is connected to the nearby islands in the municipality through the Barelang bridges and is considered strategic as part of an exclusive zone.
However, while Batam is an urban and industrial zone, Rempang is still underdeveloped with most parts of the island still covered by forest.
