The Jakarta Post, June 27, 2006
Haruku people prefer nature to glittering offer of gold
M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon
The gold potential of a village in Central Maluku has sparked a public controversy, with
confusion over the office responsible for issuing an exploration permit mixing with the
environmental concerns of locals.
Haruku Island district chief J. Kene requested permission from the Haruku village
customary chief, Paulus Kissya, in a letter dated June 3, 2006, for a co! mpany to
conduct a two-month geological, geochemistry and geophysical study in the area.
Kene based his request on a permission letter dated May 29, 2006, from the head of
the Maluku Mining and Energy Office.
Kene had earlier discussed the matter with Paulus and local residents on March 5,
but they turned down the request for PT Galtam Indonesia to conduct research and
survey in the area.
Residents had rejected mining activities on their traditional land because, they said,
Haruku Island was a small island with a tiny population and such activities could
damage the island's natural ecosystem.
They also expressed concern that mining activities would be a breach of the local
Sasi traditions they upheld, taboos against the removal of marine and forest products,
which had earned them the Kalpataru Environmental and Satyalencana Development
awards from the government.
Head of the Maluku Energy and Mining Office MG Simarmata said his office had
learned about PT Galtam Indonesia's activities in Haruku, but it was not his but the
Central Maluku regency office that had issued the permit.
"The permit was issued by the Central Maluku administration. I was only informed by
them verbally," Simarmata told The Jakarta Post.
He cited an article of the 1967 Law on Mining Principles that states the regency
administration has the authority to issue permits for mining conducted on a 5-hectare
plot, and sizes above which will be under the authority of the provincial administration.
However, following the amendment of the 1999 Law on Regional Administration into its
2004 form, full authorization is now granted by the regency administration.
"The Central Maluku regency administration now has full authority over the permit
issuance to PT Galtam Indonesia," he said.
Despite that, Simarmata said Haruku island, which is surrounded by other, smaller
islands, was not suitable for mining activities due to its tiny size, 150 square
kilometers, and its consisting of only 11 villages and around seven hamlets. The
distance between Haruku island and islands around it, such as Ambon, Saparua and
Seram, range from just two to three nautical miles.
"I would never sell the small islands to investors due to the adverse impact it might
bring," said Simarmata.
He said a study on the potential gold on Haruku had been carried out previously, but
his office had not obtained any records on the possible gold content of the area.
He said PT Galtam Indonesia was still analyzing the possibility of gold in the village.
"They were only given the permit to do research and they're not in the exploration
stage. I haven't received the latest information on the company's activities in Haruku,"
he said.
An earlier study on possible gold in Haruku was conducted in 1990, by the PT Aneka
Tambang state mining company and the Canadian-based In Gold, which entered at
the exploration stage.
Their activities were stopped in 1997 after strong protests from Haruku's traditional
community and environmental groups.
The Haruku village kepala kawang (traditional village guardian), Eliza Kissya, said the
second research that began on June 3 was just a camouflage, because the
government already knew about the gold in the area. Moreover, he said, the district
chief had been determined to bring in the research group and had set up border
markings on residents' lands without giving notice or gaining permission from the
owners.
"They are obviously intending to exploit gold because earlier studies have indicated
that our area contains gold. As a traditional community, we strongly reject the
presence of mining activities in our area due to the detrimental effects it would have on
the community, environment and tradition," he said.
Environmental activist M. Ichwan Patty said the research indicated there would be
exploration activity and the possibility of gold exploitation activity on Haruku Island.
"If this is disregarded, then a tragedy like the one in Buyat, North Sulawesi, might
occur in Maluku, which would be more destructive considering the tiny size of the
island and as it is located among other islands," said Ichwan.
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
