Transcription
Prospreous farmers, expel the cement factory! Come on, Kendeng salute! Lestari. Salute Jawa Tengah. Fellow farmers, the water source exists, so does the soil. But we are invited to learn how to mine. If we study the Amdal document, it becomes more unreasonable that there's a cement factory there. This is not based on my research, but that's what I've learnt from the Amdal document.
Sir, I'm Gunretno from Gombong. My hands are dirty. No problem. Sir, what is your name? Rum. Sir, my name is Arbi from Narasi TV. What's your name, Sir? Sumarmin. If there's a cement factory, then the village will be destroyed. So the water flows [from the Kendeng Mountains] to here. Then where would people go? If this mountain is destructed, if the farmers sell their rice fields away, how are they going to get money? This rice field is intended to support their children and grandchildren. It's appropriate for farmers to own farms. If they no longer have farms, what are they going to do?
I'm going to continue. I'm sorry to have disturbed you earlier. The factory is planned to be in that village, isn't it? Is this included in the first circle of the factory site area if the cement factory is built? The IUP (Business Establishment Permit) of the coordinate point of the cement factory site covers four villages. Karangawen village has been passed through, so too Mojomulyo village. Later, we'll be going to Larangan Village and Ngerang Village. Gun, you're going to pay a condolence visit, right? No, I'm not. It's okay if you want to go first.
What do Kendeng people think is the fundamental reason for the establishment of the cement factory? All this time, people in Kendeng believe that here in Java, with a small amount of capital, they can get much profit. So, with low wage labor in Java, they don't need to pay a lot of money to build infrastructure. So, small capital but big profit. The expense is much higher outside Java. There is an effort to control the IUP area by buying people's lands? Yes, there is. So when not everyone knows about that, then it's not their fault. One day, there's land for sale; the buyer was traced, and it's the cement factory. Indeed, this Perhutani area in the Kendeng region is also being targeted as replacements for the factories. The land speculators are involved in this. If they want to build a cement factory, how are we going to eat if it's not planted with rice? We will lose our jobs; then what will we do? We're just poor, uneducated people; we can do nothing but farm.
The issue of factory development plans is still there or not? I think so. But we're poor; we fight as much as we can. As farmers, all of us reject the cement factory establishment plans in Tambakromo. People think it's expired already because the establishment permit has been more than three years and there's no activity. Apparently, the government claimed that the environmental permit has no expired date.
What's your concern from the cement factory establishment plan? There will be no more land left. If there's no more land left, then there'll be no more water. Then, where will we, farmers, work? That would be impossible if we work in the cement factory. We're old. It seems that everything's calmed down, but we can see the latest situation that the plan for the construction of the cement factory is still there? Yes, the factory will hold onto the legal record. But we think in Indonesia, the process for it to be legal hasn't yet accommodated everything. Let's say the stipulation of the spatial planning regulation. As Kendeng brothers in arms, since the beginning, we asked to be involved, but were never given the chance. So there was a proposal from you? Yes, to be involved in the revision process because we have evidence, facts that we want to deliver. Because we also learn and know that the area with a water spring should be protected. And this is the area that, at first, was the stipulation of the spatial planning. It used to be an area for farmers and tourism, and now it has changed? Turned to be a mine and cultivation. That's funny. The people are still the same, as well as the land. The farming spirit is still the same, as well as the water spring; suddenly it changed. Now it's a cultivation area and allowed to be mined.
Actually, the revision in the local regulation, there are some things we have analyzed together with JMPPK. One of them is a chapter that mentions that in Tambakromo District was determined as an industrial designation area. In the Kendeng Mountains NKLHS, as well as in the Pati NKLHS, it was mentioned that the Tambakromo District is prone to landslide and flood. This means that when the construction is finished, the environmental impact will be bigger. Our first finding is the process. The process since the beginning. In early 2020, the JMPPK (Kendeng Mountains Care Community Network) has written to the Pansus (Special Committee) and also to the District Government of Pati to ask to be involved. There has been no involvement with the JMPPK ever since. Especially, it was during the pandemic. People assume that the Local Regulation temporarily stopped or discussion. But in fact, in April 2021, it was later ratified.
I got information that people in some districts in Pati Regency weren't invited to discuss the issue? There is a discussion related to that. It's called publik giring. Yes, the agencies have carried out socialization; PUPR also did that in the districts. Even friends in the Kendeng Mountain area had an audience with us, and at that time, I was the Chair of the Special Committee (Perda RTRW). We did not only invite Pansus, but we also called many agencies. From the Regional Secretary, his assistant, and the Environmental Service, the PUPR, and also those in the law division. Friends who were also part of the Pansus were present as well, and we welcomed everyone to give input. Not every district has a mining area. So not all of them. Some of them are obligated to have one because it's impossible that there are no mines in our area. In fact, there are mines. But if the question is do all of them have mines? No. Because not all of them use mines. All of these rely on water from the Kendeng Mountains, Ma'am? Yes. It flows from the mountains using pipes. Then it continues to flow to the houses (residents). Is there a reservoir? Yes. There is a reservoir and is piped to be flowed to the houses. I'm an ordinary farmer. I plant rice. During corn season, I plant corn. There is no pouring water if there is a cement factory. We're going to the spring. What is the name of the spring? Raden Ganang. That is what the residents of Tambakromo use. Larangan Village RT 3 and RT 4, including rice fields from here (springs)? Yes. Some of the rice fields are rainfed, some are from the Kendeng Mountains here. The water is coming out of these stones. Then the residents seal the stones so that the water doesn't flow to the river. So that it doesn't flow into the river and is used by residents for clean water. Since you were a child, has the spring been flowing abundantly? Yes, since I was little. Sir, let's say the cement factory is built; will these stones be gone? Yes, it will. This is also the material for the cement. It will also be used by the factory. To be the raw material for the cement, right? The water will shrink? The water will be drying up. This is in Slungkep Village, in Kayen District. There is a legal mining adjacent to the Sukolilo Karst Landscape Area. Close together. And beside it, around the mine, there is a ponor. Ponor is when there is heavy rain; the water flows and becomes one in one of the holes that we called ponor earlier and gone. Is that the rainwater that runs into the underground river? Yes. The ponor is over here. Over here, there's something like a hole. So when the rain comes, water converges from here and continues to enter. Actually, friends who are experts in geology, if the mine is close to the ponor, then it's not allowed, and it certainly must be protected because it is one of the characteristics of the karst area. And once I got a story from the owner of this land. His name was Pak Tamto. A 7-meter-long teak wood vanished (when it went down into the ponor). It was eroded (carried by the water) and disappeared in the hole (the ponor). So, this sounds like a mine, right? This affects the flow of underground rivers. Is this included in the concession area of the cement factory plan? This used to be in one of the areas to be mined during the time of Semen Gresik in Sukolilo around 2006-2009. There is a river in the cave. Has anyone ever walked it through? Around 2006-2007, there were friends from ASC Jogja who walked down into the cave, 300 meters. Then in 2009, there was an attempt to continue to make a map of the cave; it was only up to 100 meters because it got stuck. The water was high, and you had to dive. Our equipment was also limited. The function of karst is to absorb and store water. The new RTRW by-law has been ratified; almost all the sub-districts in Pati can be mined. What do you think? Basically, Pati's slogan is Farmers' Earth. Efforts towards Pati's identity. The identities are farmers and fishermen. Mina is a fish; many farmers tambak and sea fishermen. The people's representative should think in line with the slogan. But this is more to regulate where the industry regulates the mining site. Tinkering about which ones can be mined, and the tinkering isn't about environmental assessment considerations, but considerations of interest.
What Mas Gun sees the past 15 years, the brothers and sisters here [in Pati] seem to be being toyed with [the government], in the sense that there is uncertainty that the cement factory will not be established, especially in Pati? If we see that, we are fully aware that the people are only used as tools. Hopefully, the government, from executive, judicial, and legislative, the fact that they are the ones who hold the responsibility to think about their people, they have been mandated but betrayed the people. We believe that for whatsoever a man sows, that he shall also reap. His children and grandchildren will also reap. The power of the people is when we're united. This is not a threat, no. This is just a reminder.