PEOPLE OF CIPANG RAYA ASK JOKOWI TO CANCEL DEVELOPMENT OF ROKAN KIRI DAM

Kamis, 17 Mei 2018
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National Strategic Project Threatens Civilization in Rokan Hulu Riau Province Pekanbaru, May 2018 - Construction of Rokan Kiri Dam in Rokan Hulu District rejected by communities. Today thousands of mass coming from four villages in Rokan VI Koto Sub-district Rokan Hulu, Riau Province visited Riau Governor Office.The mass who joined in Cipang Community Alliance asked the governor to forward the rejection letter for the construction of Rokan Kiri dam that will drown Cipang Kiri Hilir Village, Cipang Kiri Hulu Village , Tibawan Village , and Cipang Kanan Village. Based on Presidential Regulation No. 58 of 2017, the construction of the Rokan Kiri dam itself is a National Strategic Project (PSN) intended to meet the needs of water discharge for irrigation, clean water and electricity. However, fact form the field shows that the development of mega project that takes more than 1.5 trillion rupiah is not needed by the people of Riau Province or the people of Cipang Raya which in fact has had their own electricity source, clean water and a fairly prosperous life in his hometown, but threatened to be sacrificed on behalf of development. Reflecting from the experience of Koto Panjang hydroelectric development, the project that planed to change the face of Kampar regency towards a brighter in fact leave the wound for 200 families who until today do not get compensation and loss of homeland for 26,444 families and lost of economic resources in the form of fields and gardens as much as 8,899 hectares. WALHI Riau and other institutions, together with the Students and the community, found the project only bring the interests of a small group of people.

Given the needs of electricity and clean water in Riau Province today is quite good. Then a question is 74.40 mega watts of electricity generated from this reservoir for whom and where. Because there are indications related to the need for clean water, irrigation and electricity source is for industrial areas and for large-scale plantation companies. In addition, this development is also the potential loss of livelihoods for 15,000 people in the four villages that the extent reaches about 6,000 hectares of land belong to community and residential areas and eliminate traditions that have been aged hundreds of years that included Goa Kelambu Kuning, Villa Berkurung Embun Peak which has a very beautiful view. The location that will be built into dam is also the former residence of Syafrudin Prawiranegara who is the second President of the Republic of Indonesia and once led the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia when Yogyakarta was controlled by the Dutch.

That way, can be ascertained if the development is still implemented then Indonesia threatened national degradation by eliminating a civilization. Ali Mahmuda, WALHI Riau Advocacy and Campaign staff said that imagining the construction of the Rokan Kiri dam is like imagining new wounds. "Grief over the construction of Koto Panjang Hydroelectric power plant is not limited to the absence of compensation. But can the state count the loss of customs and culture of thousands of peoples who today have no hometown? This can not be calculated with the numbers and the rupiah "said Ali. In addition he pressed for the provincial government to stop saying the project's refusal only because of lack of communication. "We ask to remove all local autonomy systems, if the provincial government insists on building only because it is a national strategic project and does not respect the interests and human rights of its own people.People also do not forget how the big flood occurred in 1998 outside the area of Koto Panjang hydropower project and caused the breakup of transportation between West Sumatera and Riau "he concluded. On that basis, the Cipang Community Alliance states the following:

Requesting the President to revise Presidential Regulation No. 58 of 2017 by issuing plans for the development of the Rokan Kiri dam from the National Strategic Project;
Requesting the Governor of Riau to forward the rejection letter to the plan of development of Rokan Kiri dam from Rokan Hulu Regent to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, National Development Planning Agency and related ministries; and
Requesting the Governor of Riau to exclude a plan for the development of Rokan Kiri dam from Riau Province Spatial Planning.

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