AT least six people were killed and dozens more hospitalised following a fight on the outskirts of the Porgera gold mine in Enga last week.
There was a shooting incident last Wednesday at Kumbipara village in Porgera in which four died, followed by an ambush on the road at Aiyaka in Laiagam.
Of the injured, four were airlifted by the mine’s helicopter to the Sopas Adventist Hospital in Wabag. More than 20 were treated at the mine site clinic.
The rest are admitted at the Paiyam Hospital in Porgera.
It is alleged that violence erupted between two parties from Kandep and Paiyala.
The Kandep faction attacked two men from Paiyala and killed them.
In retaliation the Paiyala men armed themselves and blocked the road at Aumbi.
They ambushed the Kandep community residing in Porgera who were travelling in a convoy of vehicles to go and bury their dead.
Enga police commander Chief Superintendent Joseph Tondop said the ambush was unacceptable.
“I strongly condemn the actions of the suspects who were involved in this cold-blooded murder,” he said.
“This is an inhuman act that will spoil the good name of Enga.
“I appeal to the community leader especially the Walin Tribe and seven ward councillors to surrender the suspects from the Yapal clan to the police.”
Two women were killed in the ambush.
Neighbouring tribes assisted in taking the bodies from the crime scene to Yakend village.
Tondop said some escaped to Sirunki through bush tracks.
“At this point in time I’m yet to confirm the number of survivors plus the number of deaths,” he said.
Meanwhile, the security forces are patrolling the highway from Wabag to ensure no further killings take place.
Oleh Veronika Kusumaryati, PhD dan Litbang Tabloid Jubi
BANYAK lagu populer di Papua bicara soal tanah. Berpuluh-puluh puisi pun ditulis tentangnya. Tak terhitung tulisan dan status sosial di media. Tanah, kata orang Papua adalah mama. Ia adalah sumber kehidupan orang Papua, dasar budaya hampir seluruh suku di Papua, dan tentu saja sumber imajinasi kebangsaan dan masa depan orang Papua. Berbagai penelitian pun telah dilakukan untuk melihat peran penting tanah bagi orang Papua. Sayangnya penelitian-penelitian itu, terutama yang terjadi belakangan ini, banyak yang bertujuan hanya untuk mengeksploitasi tanah orang Papua. Tak mengherankan karena penelitian-penelitian itu banyak dibiayai oleh pemerintah Indonesia, dan perusahaan-perusahaan kelapa sawit dan tambang. LSM-LSM kini juga terlibat dalam proses-proses penelitian dan pemetaan tanah orang Papua. Sayangnya LSM-LSM itu, kendati sebagian bermaksud membela kepentingan orang Papua, memakai kerangka berpikir yang justru mendukung komodifikasi tanah seperti yang dilakukan oleh aparat negara dan perusahaan. Sebagian dari usaha-usaha ini ditujukan untuk mengadvokasi kepentingan orang Papua, tapi ada juga proyek-proyek pemetaan yang dilakukan LSM yang akan digunakan untuk proyek-proyek skala besar dan internasional seperti yang dilakukan untuk Bank Dunia.
Bersama tim penelitian dan pengembangan Tabloid Jubi, saya melakukan penelitian mengenai sejarah penguasaan tanah di Papua karena kami pikir orang Papua mesti mengetahui sejarahnya sendiri, selain supaya kita bisa memahami perubahan besar-besaran yang sedang terjadi yang menarget tanah dan manusia Papua. Penelitian yang bersifat pendahuluan ini juga akan kami buka seluas-luasnya supaya masyarakat Papua bisa berpartisipasi, bukan hanya sebagai konsumen data tapi juga sebagai penciptanya. Diharapkan penelitian ini akan mengawali minat baru pada penelitian kritis tentang masalah penguasaan tanah sebagai salah satu aspek paling penting dari masalah yang dihadapi bangsa Papua.
Penelitian pendahuluan ini sendiri ingin melihat sejarah penguasaan tanah di Papua, mulai dari masa pra-kolonial ketika semua tanah di Papua menjadi milik orang Papua hingga sekarang ini ketika tanah-tanah orang Papua banyak diambil, baik dengan pembelian melalui kesepakatan, pembelian lewat penipuan, hingga paksaan, untuk proyek-proyek negara Indonesia, pertambangan, perkebunan dan jenis-jenis investasi-investasi lain, dan proyek keamanan Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) dan Kepolisian Indonesia. Secara waktu, cakupan penelitian ini mencakup masa 200 tahun, yaitu sejak masa kedatangan kolonial Eropa sampai masa Indonesia sekarang ini.
Kami mengolah data dari berbagai sumber, baik dari Tanah Papua, Indonesia, maupun referensi-referensi dari luar negeri. Kami mengumpulkan laporan-laporan LSM, terutama LSM lingkungan tentang proyek-proyek megabesar yang mencaplok jutaan hektar lahan, laporan-laporan jurnalistik, termasuk dari Tabloid Jubi sendiri, penelitian akademik, maupun dari dokumen-dokumen pemerintah Indonesia.
Kota Jayapura di masa pendudukan Belanda, tahun 1951 – IST
Periode Belanda
Kami memulai studi dari masa sebelum penjajahan ketika semua tanah menjadi milik orang Papua melalui sistem kepemilikan kolektif seperti suku-suku dan marga-marga (kèret). Situasi dan pola kepemilikan seperti ini sedikit berubah ketika misi Kristen dan pemerintah Belanda datang dan menguasai Tanah Papua. Seperti yang digambarkan di infografis, misionaris Kristen datang untuk pertama kali ke Papua. Mereka ‘membeli’ tanah dari orang Papua dengan cara barter. Mungkin inilah momen pertama tanah menjadi komoditas (barang dagangan) bagi orang Papua. Sama seperti yang dilakukan pemerintah kolonial Belanda yang mulai mendirikan pos di Manokwari pada tahun 1898. Pemerintah kolonial Belanda mendirikan pos pemerintahannya di atas tanah orang Papua yang ‘dibeli’ secara barter (dengan kapak, cermin, dan lain-lain). Setelah berkuasa, pemerintah menerapkan hukum agraria 1870 yang berlaku di wilayah jajahan (Hindia Belanda). Seluruh Tanah Papua diklaim sebagai wilayah Belanda dan tanah-tanah yang tidak dimiliki secara pribadi maupun kolektif oleh suku dan marga di Papua dianggap sebagai tanah negara.
Setelah proses pemetaan besar-besaran yang dilakukan oleh tentara Belanda dari tahun 1907 hingga 1920-an, Belanda memulai program kolonisasi di tahun 1930-an. Transmigran Eropa dari Belanda dan orang Indo-Belanda dari Jawa didatangkan. Perkebunan-perkebunan kolonial mulai dibuka di Merauke, Manokwari, dan Jayapura dengan melibatkan investor transnasional. Pada tahun 1932, pemerintah Belanda menyewakan 6000 hektar tanah Papua ke perusahaan perkebunan Jepang Nanyo Kohatsu Kaisha. Konsesi mereka terletak di pantai utara Tanah Papua, dari Jayapura hingga Sarmi. Pada tahun 1937 perusahaan karet Negumij (Nederlandse Maatschappij voor Nieuw-Guinea) membuka kebun di dekat Jayapura. Di Ransiki dekat Manokwari, Negumij juga memegang konsesi perkebunan seluas 1000 hektar (Penders 2009).
Kompleks perumaha perusahaan minyak NNGPM (Nederlandsche Nieuw-Guinea Petroleum Maatschappij) – IST
Namun konsesi raksasa terbesar yang diberikan oleh Belanda ke investor asing adalah konsesi tambang ke perusahaan minyak NNGPM (Nederlandsche Nieuw-Guinea Petroleum Maatschappij) yang mulai beroperasi di Sorong pada tahun 1935. NNGPM adalah sebuah perusahaan minyak internasional dengan saham yang dimiliki oleh Kelompok Shell dari Belanda, melalui cabangnya bernama BPM (40%) dan dua perusahaan minyak Amerika milik keluarga Rockefeller. Standard Vacuum Oil Co. memegang 40% saham and Far Pacific Investments yang dimiliki Standard Oil of California memegang 20% saham. Luas konsesi NNGPM waktu itu mencapai 10 juta hektar yang meliputi daerah dari Kepala Burung hingga Mimika.
Periode Indonesia
Ketika Indonesia datang dengan bala tentaranya dari akhir tahun 1961, banyak aset tanah dan bangunan milik Belanda beralih ke Indonesia. Dan sejak pengalihan resmi wilayah Papua dari Belanda ke PBB (melalui UNTEA) kemudian ke Indonesia, hukum Indonesia termasuk hukum agraria mulai diberlakukan di Tanah Papua. Sama dengan Belanda, Indonesia melakukan program kolonisasi besar-besaran. Selain dengan serangan militer, pada tahun 1964 pemerintahan Sukarno memulai program transmigrasi di Papua. Program transmigrasi di Papua bertujuan bukan hanya untuk mengurangi kepadatan penduduk di Jawa atau pulau-pulau padat lainnya, melainkan lebih untuk menjaga klaim territorial mereka atas Tanah Papua. Hingga tahun 1993, Bank Dunia melaporkan bahwa 49,267 keluarga transmigran Indonesia (sekitar 272 ribu orang) telah menetap di Tanah Papua. Menurut pemerintah, jumlah transmigran diperkirakan 137 ribu keluarga. Tidak ada data pasti mengenai jumlah transmigran ini karena setiap kantor, baik pemerintah maupun kantor pendana asing (seperti Bank Dunia) memiliki data mereka sendiri, tapi juga karena sensitifnya isu transmigrasi di Papua. Ketidakpastian data ini juga kami pikir untuk menutupi dampak negatif yang sangat besar yang diakibatkan oleh program ini. Salah satu data yang sangat sulit didapatkan adalah jumlah transmigran spontan dari Indonesia yang sudah masuk ke Papua. Berbagai sumber (Aditjondro 1986 dan Osborne 1985) memperkirakan bahwa pada tahun 1990-an, transmigran spontan sudah akan mencapai 500 ribu orang, atau lebih dari separuh penduduk asli Papua. Dengan kata lain, orang Papua sudah menjadi minoritas di tanahnya sendiri. Namun dampak yang paling parah dari program ini adalah pencaplokan lahan milik orang Papua untuk tanah transmigrasi maupun perkebunan. Untuk transmigrasi resmi, pemerintah Indonesia memberikan jatah tanah sekitar 2 hektar per keluarga. Dengan dasar ini, tanah orang asli Papua yang diambil untuk program transmigrasi berkisar antara 100 ribu hingga 300 ribu hektar atau sekitar 10 hingga 30 kali luas kota Paris. Ini merupakan angka yang sangat mengerikan.
Kawasan pemukiman transmigrasi di Papua berkembang sangat pesat – IST
Belum lagi kalau kita melihat proses pencaplokan lahan yang lebih intensif melalui industri ekstraktif seperti pertambangan. Pada tahun 1967, dua tahun sebelum Penentuan Pendapat Rakyat, Indonesia mulai bekerjasama dengan Freeport McMoRan, perusahaan tambang Amerika Serikat untuk mengambil tembaga dan emas dari tanah milik orang Amungme. Berdasarkan kontrak karya pertama Freeport, tanah orang Papua yang diambil untuk proyek ini mencapai 101.171 ha. Luas ini meningkat 30 kali lipat pada tahun 1994. Dengan “penemuan” Grasberg dan penandatanganan kontrak karya kedua pada tahun 1991 dan 1994, Freeport memiliki konsesi seluas 3.642.171 hektar. Selain Freeport, Pemerintah Indonesia juga memberikan konsesi kepada berbagai perusahaan tambang nasional dan multinasional. Hingga tahun 2016, Yayasan Pusaka melaporkan bahwa 9.110.793 hektar tanah ulayat orang asli Papua atau 22% dari luas wilayah total Tanah Papua telah dikuasai tambang, termasuk konsesi-konsesi baru yang mengambil wilayah perairan, seperti tambang minyak British Petroleum (BP). Pada tahun 1997, Pemerintah Indonesia memberikan konsesi seluas 3.466 hektar ke British Petroleum (BP) untuk beroperasi di Teluk Bintuni. Meski tanah yang diambil sedikit, namun dampak operasi BP ini akan mencapai lebih dari 300 ribu hutan bakau di sekitarnya.
Seperti pada masa Belanda, sektor perkebunan juga mengakibatkan pencaplokan lahan besar-besaran. Perkebunan kelapa sawit mulai beroperasi di Tanah Papua pada tahun 1980. Hingga tahun 2017, perkebunan kelapa sawit di Tanah Papua diperkirakan telah mencapai 1.015.609,2 ha atau 15 kali luas kota Jakarta. Pembukaan perkebunan kelapa sawit juga bersamaan dengan komodifikasi hutan Papua melalui program HPH (hak pengusahaan hutan) dan HTI (hutan tanaman industri). Meski pembalakan liar sudah dilakukan jauh-jauh hari, pembalakan melalui program HPH dan HTI dimulai pada tahun 1984. Hingga tahun 2007, 14 juta hektar hutan Papua telah diberikan kepada perusahaan kayu melalui HPH dan HTI. Luas ini setara dengan sepertiga dari seluruh luas Tanah Papua.
Pada tahun 1998, Indonesia mengalami krisis ekonomi dan politik yang berakhir dengan turunnya Soeharto sebagai presiden. Reformasi pun mulai terjadi. Di antara orang Papua, momen reformasi memungkinkan konsolidasi gerakan perlawanan rakyat Papua untuk dekolonisasi. Namun Pemerintah Indonesia mengatasinya dengan memberikan otonomi khusus untuk provinsi Papua. Meski Otonomi Khusus bertujuan untuk memberikan kebebasan yang lebih besar bagi orang Papua, pada prakteknya otonomi ini tidak terlaksana, terutama dalam bidang pertanahan dan sumber daya alam. Pemerintah Indonesia terus-menerus mengeksploitasi sumber daya alam Papua, misalnya dengan proyek-proyek perkebunan, pertambangan dan infrastruktur. Pada tahun 2011, pemerintah meluncurkan proyek Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) setelah tertunda dan diprotes selama bertahun-tahun. Proyek MIFEE ini diperkirakan telah dan akan mengambil lahan orang asli Papua seluas 2,5 juta ha.
Peta kawasan MIFEE di Merauke – IST
Pemekaran dan pembangunan infrastruktur juga mengambil tanah-tanah orang asli, misalnya, pembangunan jalan, kantor-kantor pemerintah, dan instalasi militer. Pada tahun 2015, masyarakat Papua memprotes pembangunan markas Kodam XVIII/Kasuari di Manokwari yang memakan lahan seluas 24,7 ha. Belum lagi protes serupa yang terjadi di Wamena untuk program pembangunan markas Brimob atau di Biak untuk pangkalan militer.
TORA: model pencaplokan terbaru
Pada tahun 2016, pemerintahan Joko Widodo memperkenalkan program reforma agraria. Program ini bertujuan untuk mengatasi ketimpangan kepemilikan lahan dan persoalan kemiskinan di Indonesia. Melalui program ini, Jokowi menerbitkan sebuah kebijakan bernama TORA (tanah objek reforma agraria). TORA adalah kawasan hutan dan tanah negara yang dianggap ‘tanah terlantar’ dan akan dilepaskan untuk hak kepemilikan (sertifikasi). Namun, kebijakan ini juga menetapkan bahwa 20% dari area pelepasan melalui TORA akan digunakan untuk perkebunan. Di Tanah Papua, bukannya menyasar tanah terlantar, program reforma agraria justru menyasar hutan primer. Hingga saat ini, luas hutan Papua yang SK pelepasannya sudah keluar melalui TORA mencapai 1.124.975,35 hektar. Artinya, TORA dan program reforma agraria bukannya mengatasi kemiskinan di Papua, justru memperparah kemiskinan penduduk asli. Program ini juga berarti formalisasi program pencaplokan hutan rakyat. Sejak program ini diluncurkan, Papua juga melihat peningkatan jumlah perusahaan kelapa sawit dan tebu yang mendapat konsesi di Papua, yaitu 48 perusahaan. TORA di Papua juga mengembalikan program transmigrasi yang sempat dihentikan sejarak reformasi. Hingga tahun ini, pemerintah telah melepaskan tanah seluas 84.554,51 hektar untuk program transmigrasi baru.
Hutan Papua – Dok. Jubi
Dari tinjauan jangka panjang sejarah penguasaan tanah ini kelihatan bahwa kendati orang Papua melawan, penguasaan baik dengan cara persuasi maupun paksaan terus terjadi hingga saat ini. Bahkan ada model-model penguasaan baru yang lebih massif, seperti TORA dan MIFEE. Pertanyaannya, dapatkah orang Papua di masa kini maupun masa depan mempertahankan diri dan hidup mereka di bidang kebudayaan, politik dan ekonomi tanpa mempertahankan tanah? (*)
Dr. Veronika Kusumaryati adalah antropolog dan pengajar di Harvard University.
More than 150 people, including children had to find shelter last night after police executed a Court order to evict them from the MCI area in Tagabe.
Field Commander, Inspector Willie Amkori said the tenants were given time to move but they failed to comply and at the end of the day, no one is above the law.
Earlier yesterday an urgent application was filled to stay the order but it was refused by the court.
The proceeding was filed to give more time to the residents in the affected area behind MCI in Tagabe to move their belongings.
The applicant — Maliwan Philip of Tanna — who was affected by the eviction order told the court with his lawyer, Erick Molbaleh, that the property they were living in was registered under the name of Ginette Dousseron, the respondent.
But the court noted that property title No. 12/0633/1139, 12/0633/1140 and 12/0633/1141 were the properties of the respondent of this case (both Philip Paget and Mrs Dousseron) and Mr Maliwan Philip has no legal standing in the matter.
“It is hereby ordered that the application to stay the enforcement warrant issued on the August 28, 2018 is not granted,” Deputy Master Aurelie Tamseul said.
“The Sheriff is to proceed with the execution of the enforcement warrant”.
The eviction, dubbed ‘MCI OPS’ was carried out successfully with no physical threats under the supervision of Inspector Amkori and under the watch of more than 15 police and mobile officers who were deployed to remove the occupants off the property.
Daily Post’s investigation has found that the properties were registered under the name of Mrs Dousseron but she had mortgaged the land some years ago and failed to pay back her mortgagee (Bred Bank).
In another enforcement order issued on August 28, 2018, Mrs Dousseron was ordered by the Bank to pay more than Vt8.4 million with an interest of more than Vt3.4 million plus but she failed to do so.
The court then granted Bred Bank the right to seize and sell the titles registered under the name of Mrs Dousseron as the debtor in this case.
The investigation also revealed that Mrs Dousseron sold out the lease NO. 12/0633/1138 to satisfy her other liabilities and failed to payback the Bank as the mortgagee.
In the same matter, Master Cybelle Cenac-Maragh empowered the Mortgagee (Bred) to sell and transfer the leasehold property contained and described as title NO. 12/0633/1139, 12/0633/1140 and 12/0633/1141 on April 26, 2016.
“That pending such sale and transfer the claimant (Bred) as mortgagee or any agents duly authorized by it in writing be empowered to enter the property and acting all respects in the place and on behalf of the proprietor of the leases, and to apply in reduction monies due and owing to the Applicant (Bred) all or any rent received in respect of the said property,” she said.
Yesterday morning when the enforcement officers arrived at the scene, Mrs Dousseron was not around but Inspector Amkori said that she left the previous night before with her belongings.
A Tanna man who wished to remain anonymous said that they lived there before Mrs Dousseron became the proprietor of the property and they lived with her but in the final hours before the eviction, she left.
He said they were living as one community of Tanna, North Efate and Ambae on the property. Part of the community reside inside the affected area, however the eviction has forced the victims to move to the other side.
The community told Daily Post that the unaffected side belongs to Ifira custom landowners and they settled there through some agreements, while others have sought refuge to other relatives in Port Vila suburbs.
A lands officer was also called to the scene yesterday after Philip Paget had wrongly marked the property, compared to the one they had on the map and forced some people who were not supposed to move to demolish their houses out of fear.
They had to build a new house again after the land officer marked the property.
After four hours of eviction, Inspector Amkori handed the property to the new owner at 12.30pm. The victims were allowed on the property to take their possessions and salvage materials to build new shelters.
The Inspector said he is sorry for the victims but police were simply executing court orders.
He appealed to people in similar situations not to wait for police to go and move them off a property, but comply with court orders once they got served.
A gun has been reported stolen after an attack at the Devil’s Point during an alleged house robbery last weekend, police told Daily Post.
Commander South Superintendent Jackson Noal said police attended the incident and asked communities around the area to cooperate if they saw any suspicious activities and have information that might lead to the suspects.
Mr Noal said no one has been arrested in relation to the attack so far but confirmed that according to eyewitnesses, four people were involved.
He said the victim is a cousin of the person who owns the property and he was at home on Friday night when he heard the dogs barking so he went outside to check.
That was when the men assaulted him and took the gun.
Superintendent Noal said the owner of the house was on his way to the property due to an earlier call he received from the victim before he was attacked.
He said the victim was not seriously injured but the case itself is a serious by its nature.
He described the incident as ‘brazen and confronting’.
Devil’s Point area has been the location of serious robberies in the past and some cases are still pending investigation. Police said thieves are targeting the expatriate community in the area.
Mr Noal said stealing the gun poses a threat to the communities on Devils Point road and other surrounding communities.
He said police officers are patrolling around the clock and any information to what might give a good trail needed to be reported the police before someone else gets hurt.
The case is now under police investigation but any collaboration or tip-off would be appreciated.
Residents in the Devil’s Point area are advised to remain inside their houses at night and call the police immediately on their toll free line – 111 to report any suspicious activities.
Oleh Joseph Cheer, Stephen Pratt, dan Denis Tolkach, (lewat Jubi )
Di balik argumen ekonomi yang optimis, wajah kampanye pariwisata dan gambar-gambar di media sosial Instagram, ada prospek lain yang mengancam juga turut bermain. – Lowy Institute/ Asian Development Bank/Flickr
Citra Kepulauan Pasifik sebagai utopia yang tenteram – surga eksotis di kelilingi lambaian nyiur hijau, pantai berpasir keemasan, dan penduduk lokal yang tersenyum ramah – adalah sisa-sisa zaman kolonial yang masih bertahan sejak kontak pertama mereka di era lalu dengan orang pendatang dari Eropa.
Tema-tema dengan klise yang serupa masih sering terlihat dalam berbagai kampanye pariwisata dan iklan modern untuk mendorong dan menggugah turis asing: ‘Where happiness finds you’ (Fiji), ‘Discover the treasured islands’ (Samoa), ‘Islands the way they use to be’ (Tahiti), ‘A million different journeys’ (Papua Nugini), dan ‘Seek the unexplored’ (Kepulauan Solomon).
Ini adalah wajah yang diciptakan oleh industri pariwisata. Dalam penelitian kami, diterbitkan dalam sebuah artikel baru-baru ini, kami bertujuan untuk menemukan apa yang berada di belakang topeng ini.
Apakah sektor pariwisata berhasil menyumbangkan lebih dari sekadar remah-remah roti, di atas meja makan kepada penduduk Kepulauan Pasifik? Apakah pariwisata telah membantu, atau menghalangi persepsi masyarakat luar mengenai konteks nyata di negara-negara kepulauan Pasifik? Apakah fokus yang terlalu ditekankan kepada sektor pariwisata menutup peluang-peluang lainnya, mengingat ia bisa menjadi jalur ambigu menuju pembangunan?
Status quo
Industri pariwisata di Negara-negara Kepulauan Pasifik (Pacific island countries; PICs) saat ini, berfungsi sebagai industri unggulan dalam prospek ekonomi di wilayah tersebut. Namun, ada beberapa tema utama dan pertanyaan mengenai prospek sebenarnya dari industri ini.
Beberapa tantangan lebih bersifat praktis dan operasional. Perusahaan-perusahaan penerbangan milik negara yang beroperasi secara nasional dan internasional di negara-negara Pasifik, memiliki riwayat gelap dimana sebagian besar dari mereka memerlukan intervensi asing. Tidak seperti destinasi-destinasi Asia Tenggara, kurangnya permintaan pasaran dan persaingan meningkatkan biaya perjalanan udara ke Pasifik sehingga tiket pun sangat mahal.
Tantangan-tantangan lainnya berasal dari daya tarik. Sudah jelas bahwa konteks geopolitik Pasifik akan membawa pengaruh yang kuat pada arus pariwisata di masa depan. Pasar-pasar yang lebih tradisional adalah Australia dan Selandia Baru. Namun, yang masih menjadi pertanyaan adalah apakah tren ini akan berlanjut, atau akan bergeser ke wisatawan asal Tiongkok.
Bagaimanapun juga, dengan meningkatnya aktivitas dan peminat pariwisata dari Tiongkok, ada dua pertanyaan penting yang tersisa untuk dijawab: ‘Apakah wisatawan Tiongkok ingin mengunjungi negara-negara Kepulauan Pasifik?’, dan ‘ Apakah negara-negara PIC siap untuk melayani mereka?’
Dan kemudian ada juga tantangan dalam mencari uang atau pencapaian ekonomi saja. Indikasi keberhasilan industri pariwisata umumnya dikaitkan dengan jumlah kunjungan dan pembelanjaan, yang dilakukan oleh pengunjung internasional selama berada di negara tersebut.
Tetap, penting juga untuk mengakui dampak non-ekonomi, termasuk kepemilikan lahan, kelangsungan sosial, dan kelestarian lingkungan. Efek kebocoran dan keterkaitan dengan sektor lain juga harus diawasi, untuk mengoptimalkan keuntungan ekonomi bagi komunitas pariwisata.
Mengembangkan ketahanan industri pariwisata di komunitas destinasi tujuan itu sangat penting, jika kita ingin mempertahankan cara hidup Pasifik. Ini berarti pada dimensi non-ekonomi, yaitu kesejahteraan dan sumber mata pencaharian seperti melestarikan adat dan tradisi, serta hubungan yang menjadi fondasi suatu masyarakat, yang harus dipertahankan.
Industri pariwisata sebagai penunjang pembangunan
Organisasi-organisasi internasional percaya akan potensi pariwisata di kawasan Pasifik.
Organisasi Pariwisata Dunia PBB (UNWTO) menyatakan tahun 2017 sebagai Tahun Internasional Pariwisata Berkelanjutan untuk Pembangunan, International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, dan menetapkan sejumlah target untuk menghubungkan pariwisata dengan Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (SDGs).
Bank Dunia adalah pendukung berat pertumbuhan ekonomi yang dipimpin oleh industri pariwisata, dan aktif menempatkan industri ini sebagai sumber pemasukan utama di Pasifik. Dalam programnya yang dinamai Pacific Possible, Bank Dunia memproyeksikan bahwa pada tahun 2040, kawasan ini dapat mendatangkan 1 juta pengunjung internasional tambahan dengan nilai AS $ 1,8 miliar setiap tahunnya, menghasilkan hingga 128.000 lapangan pekerjaan.
Tetap saja, kekhawatiran tentang pariwisata dan pembangunan sudah ada sejak tahun 1980-an. Diperkirakan bahwa dalam upayanya untuk menyambut pariwisata, PICs akan terjerat dalam suatu sistem global di mana mereka hanya memiliki sedikit kendali. Ahli geografi terkenal, Stephen Britton, berpendapat bahwa peran industri pariwisata dalam mengukuhkan pembangunan sebenarnya masih dipertanyakan.
Sudah jelas bahwa pariwisata memiliki potensi untuk memberikan peluang pemberdayaan kepada masyarakat setempat. Namun, riwayat kesuksesan pariwisata sebagai penunjang pembangunan masih belum terbukti: hal ini hanya dapat dicapai dengan tata kelola yang efektif dan dengan keterlibatan tingkat lokal.
Di balik wajah pariwisata
Di balik argumen ekonomi yang optimis, wajah kampanye pariwisata dan gambar-gambar di media sosial Instagram, ada prospek lain yang mengancam juga turut bermain.
Yang pertama adalah skenario hari kiamat yang terus mendekat: perubahan iklim dan naiknya permukaan laut menunjukkan bencana yang akan terjadi dalam waktu dekat untuk beberapa negara PICs.
Kedua adalah sejumlah halangan yang terus-menerus ada dan tidak pernah berubah, untuk mendorong hasil pembangunan menjadi lebih baik. Meskipun arus bantuan pembangunan asing terus mengalir, kemajuan komunitas Pasifik masih tersendat-sendat. Pembangunan dalam bidang kesehatan dan kesejahteraan masyarakat pun nampaknya sulit untuk dicapai.
Semua bidang itu tetap sama saja meskipun kebijakan pembangunan dengan orientasi pariwisata, terus berkembang selama beberapa dekade terakhir.
Meskipun tidak adil jika kita meletakkan kelambanan dari perkembangan pembangunan di kaki industri pariwisata, kegagalan itu memicu berbagai pertanyaan tentang hipotesis pembangunan yang dipimpin industri pariwisata, gagasan yang didukung oleh Bank Dunia dan mitra-mitra pembangunan utama, Australia dan Selandia Baru.
Kalau bukan pariwisata, lalu apa?
Melihat dampak ekonominya, penduduk Kepulauan Pasifik tampaknya menginginkan lebih banyak pariwisata, bukan lebih sedikit.
Hal ini menunjukkan adanya urgensi dalam menyusun kebijakan dan rezim tata kelola, yang memungkinkan untuk bisa mengatasi kendala-kendala, dan meningkatkan keberhasilan industri pariwisata. Kedua reformasi kebijakan tersebut harus diupayakan dan dipertahankan.
Faktanya adalah ketergantungan pada industri pariwisata itu punya risikonya sendiri. Untuk negara-negara PICs, industri pariwisata memang menawarkan prospek ekonomi paling kuat. Masa depan mereka pun mungkin akan tetap sejalan dengan jalur itu. (The Interpreter Lowy Institute, 21/08/2018)
Custom governance implementation pilot launching for Efate has taken place at Emua village, North Efate.
The launching followed the launching of the Malo and Ambae pilot sites and it will be followed by the launching of the Tanna pilot site in early August.
The President of Malvatumauri council of chiefs, Chief Seni Mao Tirsupe, is leading the launching of the pilot sites with the goal of returning the importance of custom governance to the islands.
As part of the importance of enforcing two important legislation for dealing with land disputes, the Customary Land Management Act and the Land Reform (Amendment) Act, the Government has put the responsibility on the shoulders of the President of Malvatumaiuri.
And it is his duty to tell the chiefs in the islands of their duties and responsibilities to support the pilot sites program.
Malvatumairi Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Pierre Tom, explains that the work of the pilot sites will be to implement the 19 resolutions of Malvatumauri, which constitute the road map of the institution.
The work involves identifying the area and village custom boundaries of islands, true and rightful chiefs of villages and sacred sites of the islands so that Malvatumauri through the Customary Land Management Office (CLMO) can deal with land issues that keep coming up with major challenges to resolution as seen from past experiences.
He says they plan to complete the program on the four islands this year and to move to other islands next year and following years.
National Coordinator of the Customary Land Management Office, Alicta Vuti, says experience has shown that after the new legislation, the Customary Land Management Act and Land Reform (Amendment) Act, came to being, the office is still having difficulty administering the acts.
This he says is due to governance challenges.
“So, this is the right time the governance project through the 19 resolutions that is now kicked off, it gives us some hope at the CLMO that through this initiative/program it will open the way for the work of land matters to progress to much without hindrance,” he adds.
President of Malvatumairi, Chief Tirsup, was represented at the Efate pilot site launching in his absence by Executive member of Malvatumauri and President of Port Vila Council of Chief Isaac Worwor.
Also present were representatives of the Minister of Justice and Community Services and the Minister of Lands, who also could not attend due to other commitments, the CEO of Malvatumairi, National Coordinator of the Land Management Office, and all the chiefs of Vaturisu council of chiefs of Efate. Leaders of Shefa Provincial Government Council also witnessed the launching.
Jonas Cullwick, a former General Manager of VBTC is now a Senior Journalist with the Daily Post. Contact: jonas@dailypost.vu. Cell # 678 5460922
APB, the Dutch pension fund for government and education employees, announced it would divest 300,000 euros from the firm owned by one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates over forest destruction for palm oil in Indonesian Papua.
Dutch national pension fund APB is divesting 300,000 euros ($351,000) from Korean firm Posco Daewoo over deforestation in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua province.
The announcement by ABP follows a series of media reports in the Netherlands about forest destruction by PT Bio Inti Agrindo, an oil palm plantation company owned by Posco Daewoo.
In May, consumer television program Kassa—the name means “cash register” in Dutch—aired a 16-minute segment on the pension fund’s investment in Posco Daewoo. That same month, the Dutch website Oneworld.nl published its own exposé of the land clearing in Papua.
Environmental groups have campaigned against the deforestation in Papua by Posco Daewoo, and by other companies, for years. The palm oil industry is rapidly expanding there.
If ABP wants to be seen as a responsible trustee of Dutch resources, they have to stop financing rogue actors like Posco.
Rolf Schipper, forest campaigner, Milieudefensie
In 2015, Norway’s pension fund divested from Posco Daewoo—then named Daewoo International—and from Posco, the parent company.
APB still has a 157 million euro ($183 million) investment in Posco.
“Norway got it right—Posco’s massive deforestation and land grabbing isn’t something to play games with,” Rolf Schipper, forest campaigner at Milieudefensie, a Dutch group, said in a statement. “If ABP wants to be seen as a responsible trustee of Dutch resources, they have to stop financing rogue actors like Posco, period.”
The land PT Bio Inti Agrindo has been licensed to develop by the Indonesian government overlaps with a WWF Global Ecoregion home to 344 registered bird and 69 mammal species, some of which are endangered and endemic to the area.
PT Bio Inti Agrindo has cleared more than 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of forest in Papua since 2013, according to a report released by think tank the World Resources Institute in March.
This story was published with permission from Mongabay.com
NZ High Commissioner supports ‘no plastic bags’ effort
New Zealand High Commissioner, Jonathan Schwass pledged to support Vanuatu’s efforts to beat plastic pollution at the ‘No Plastik Bag, Pls’ exhibition at Alliance Française Monday night.
He pledged that:
· We ( NZHC) pledge to implement a no single-use plastic policy in our High Commission office
· We ( NZHC) pledge that whenever our High Commission has meetings or conferences or functions, we will ask the venue/contractor for a plastic-free event.
· We ( NZHC) pledge that our High Commission will assign a person to be our environment representative, who will look at ways our office can reduce our plastic footprint
THE Port Moresby Nature Park has taken the lead in supporting the ban on plastic bags by introducing paper bags and green eco-bags in all its shops at the park.
Park general manager Michelle McGeorge said the shops in the park stopped using plastic bags as part of an attempt to support environmental sustainability.
“This also aligns with recent calls by the Minister for Environment and Conservation, John Pundari, for a ban on plastic bags in the best interest of the environment and health of all Papua New Guineans,” she said.
“It not only makes sense to reduce plastic bags from an environmental perspective, but from a business financial perspective as well.
“Business leaders must be responsible with their business practices and be serious in investingin positive changes by removing plastic bags in their business activities.
“We can stop the issues of plastic bags only when the businesses realise and start to stop the supply of plastic bags.”
McGeorge said it was an ongoing effort by Nature Park to improve its environmentally sustainable practices. It set up an environmental committee last year.
Guest relations team leader Heidi A’aru said it was the rightthing to do because it would contribute to a safer and greener environment.
“It’s also a timely move for us as the Government plans to impose a total ban on plastic bags in due time,” A’aru said.
Delegates arrive at the convention center during the COP 23 Fiji UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany (Nov. 6, 2017). Image Credit: AP Photo/Martin Meissner
When Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama assumed the presidency of the 23rd meeting of the UN’s climate change convention on November 6, he was a long way from his Pacific home. Fiji is the first Pacific Island country to host a UN Conference of the Parties (COP), but is doing so remotely from Bonn, Germany.
With a population of less than one million people, Fiji has taken on an outsized role at the United Nations in recent years, becoming a much more prominent leader on climate change than many much larger countries.
Despite being held in a cold German city, COP 23 will have many Fijian touches. Fiji will lead a dialogue following the Pacific principles of “Talanoa” – sharing stories to build empathy and trust. Bainimarama also plans to delegate formal proceedings so that he can play “a roving role” and be on hand “to resolve any difficulties in the formal negotiations.”
Yet not all countries coming to the meeting are yet ready to climb into Fiji’s canoe.The Fiji police band will perform and a Fijian canoe, known as a drua, will sit in the main foyer of the meeting to remind delegates that “all 7.5 billion people on earth are in the same canoe.”
In particular, this year’s meeting will occur under the cloud of the Trump administration’s threatened withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, just two years after the agreement was finally reached. It will contrast with the brief optimism around last year’s meeting in Marrakech, when countries were almost ready for the agreement to enter into force in December 2016.
That particular milestone was in no small part because Fiji had led a small group of countries eager for the agreement to be implemented as soon as possible. Fiji became the first country to officially join the agreement in April 2016, on the first day it was open for signing. These countries hoped to build momentum and avoid the delays that saw the Kyoto Protocol take more than 12 years to enter into force.
The speedy entry-into-force of the Paris Agreement also reflected its differences from the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol legally bound developed countries to emission reduction targets. On the other hand, almost every country both developed and developing, has signed the Paris Agreement, but they are not legally bound to their commitments.
The United States’ planned withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will see it keeping company with only one other country, Syria. Every other country has signed the agreement, even North Korea.
Despite their small populations and economies, small island states like Fiji, have been among some of the biggest leaders on climate change at the United Nations. The impact of climate change on these countries with little protection from vast oceans is now well known.
Fiji is no stranger to some of the worst effects. Its coral reefs are dying, harming fishing and tourism, and salt water is rising, harming the nation’s second biggest export, sugar.
In February 2016, Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the southern hemisphere, hit Fiji, killing 44 people and causing an estimated $1.4 billion in damage, around one-third of the country’s GDP.
The cyclone also prevented Fiji from hosting an Oceans Conference in June 2017. Damage from the cyclone saw the meeting relocated to New York.
The health of the world’s oceans, including the consequences of overfishing, has become another area where Fiji has shown leadership. Fiji’s Peter Thomson, until recently the 71st president of the UN General Assembly, is now the UN’s Special Envoy on Oceans.
All of these efforts have not come without cost to the small nation, still recovering from Cyclone Winston. The presidency of the General Assembly was in part funded by a trust fund set up after corruption plagued the office during Antigua’s recent presidency.
However Fiji’s small size means that it has also not received any of the economic benefits associated with hosting major international meetings. Last year’s COP brought around 20,000 people to Morocco, almost one quarter of the 80,000 tourists Fiji usually receives in a month.
With its white beaches and coral reefs, tourism remains Fiji’s biggest source of income, yet the COP will be held at the headquarters of the UN’s climate body the UNFCCC. Bainimarama has said that his country “simply could not have staged an event of this size and complexity in Fiji” describing it as an example of how countries of vastly different means can work together.
As a small country Fiji has to rely on building relationships with much bigger, richer countries if it plans to address climate change. Most small island states’ carbon emissions are negligible at the global level. Fiji is only responsible for 0.01 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
For its part, Fiji has also made commitments to transition fully to renewable energy by the year 2030. Its Pacific neighbor Tuvalu, aims to be the first country to use 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2020.
By contrast some of Fiji’s other neighbors, including Indonesia and Australia, have much higher emissions. Indonesia has particularly high emissions, partly due to peat fires used to clear land for palm oil plantations. Australia, meanwhile, is proceeding to build the Carmichael coal mine, a project of the Indian company Adani, which may potentially attract funding from China. It will be the biggest coal mine in the southern hemisphere, and will also potentially do further damage to the Great Barrier Reef.
China is now the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, although the United States remains the biggest emitter in history. Facing pressure over air pollution at home, the Chinese government has been taking strident steps to minimize fossil fuels within its own borders. However beyond its borders, China has been involved inan estimated 240 coal power stations in 25 countries through its Belt and Road initiative.
Alongside China, three of the other 10 biggest emitters – India, Japan, and Indonesia – are in Asia.
Ironically, there is a strong correlation between a country’s historic emissions and its ability to adapt to climate impacts due to poverty and lack of infrastructure. Alongside small island states, drought prone countries in Eastern Africa and river delta countries like Bangladesh are also vulnerable.
While small island states like Fiji have been among the countries most consistently sounding the alarm on climate change, the events of 2017 so far have shown that climate related disasters know no boundaries.
This year’s COP has been preceded by a year of unprecedented floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. A full one-quarter of all category five hurricanes to make landfall in the Atlantic Ocean since 1851 made landfall in 2017.
Bainimarama made his speech at the UN General Assembly in September just as Hurricane Maria tore through the Caribbean. “The appalling suffering in the Caribbean and the U.S. reminds us all that there is no time to waste,” he told the assembly, also recalling the impact of Cyclone Winston on Fiji. “As incoming COP president, I am deeply conscious of the need to lead a global response to the underlying causes of these events.”
This consciousness, together with an understanding that Fiji and many of its closest neighbors simply will not survive unmitigated climate change will inform Fiji’s approach at the 23rd COP, which will run until November 17.
Lyndal Rowlands is a freelance Australian journalist and United Nations correspondent. She has written for Al Jazeera, the Saturday Paper and SciDev and is the former UN bureau chief for Inter Press Service.
