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Outrage over Raja Ampat nickel mining: Between virality and solidarity
Sharing posts about Raja Ampat becomes a way to show that one is environmentally conscious, politically aware or simply follows the current controversy.
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Overlooked: Workers ride motorbikes on the morning of April 18 to enter Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP), a major nickel processing and smelting hub, in Lelilef Sawai, Central Halmahera, North Maluku. The home of the Hongana Manyawa indigenous tribe in central Halmahera was once a breathtaking kaleidoscope of nature that provided sanctuary and sustenance, but it is being eaten away by one of the world's largest nickel mining projects, as Indonesia exploits vast reserves of the metal used in everything from electric vehicles to stainless steel. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
T
he real cost of nickel mining has finally broken into mainstream headlines and flooded social media feeds. The trigger? A protest by Greenpeace activists and youth from Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, who stormed the opening of the Third Indonesia Critical Minerals Conference early this month.
The protest targeted mining operations on three small islands in Raja Ampat, which are classified under Law No. 1/2014 as zones where mining is banned. Despite this, the government had issued five mining licenses.
Although the government called the protest “immature”, it sparked something big. Media outlets picked it up immediately, and online platforms were filled with anger. The hashtag #SaveRajaAmpat gained traction, with people demanding an end to nickel mining on Gag Island, Raja Ampat, and calling for business permits to be revoked.
According to social media analysis by Drone Emprit, the issue received over 23,000 mentions, 95 percent of which carried negative sentiment, mostly pointing to the environmental destruction.
Under growing pressure, the government moved quickly and revoked the permits of four out of five companies operating there. The remaining one, PT Gag Nikel, a subsidiary of state-owned PT Aneka Tambang, while being spared from the crackdown, will come under close government supervision.
But this brouhaha leads to an important question: Why now? Why does Raja Ampat trigger such strong reactions, while other nickel-rich places like Weda Bay and Obi Island in North Maluku or Kabaena Island in Southeast Sulawesi barely get noticed?
These are major mining sites that play a central role in the government’s ambitious nickel downstreaming policy. The damage is just as severe, as orange-reddish, murky seawater has become a common sight across these islands.
