Rempang Eco City Excluded from Prabowo's List of 77 National Strategic Projects

April 29, 2025 | 08:22 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The status of the Rempang Eco City project has become a topic of discussion in a public hearing held by Commission VI with the residents of Pulau Rempang on Monday, April 28, 2025. It turns out that the project is not included in the list of 77 National Strategic Projects of President Prabowo Subianto as stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025 regarding the National Medium-Term Development Plan for 2025-2029.

Commission VI Chairperson Nurdin Halid confirmed the exclusion of Rempang Eco City from the list of National Strategic Projects after checking the regulation. "So, it turns out that Rempang is indeed not included in the (PSN) list," said Nurdin during the meeting, while showing a copy of the regulation document in his hand.

Nurdin conducted the verification after Member of Commission VI from the PDIP faction, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, found a news article dated March 13, 2025. In the article, Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau, Ariastuty Sirait, stated that the development of Rempang Eco City is still included in the National Strategic Project (PSN).

Previously, when asked by Tempo, Ariastuty mentioned that the PSN status of Rempang Eco City is stated in the Regional Development Direction in Appendix IV of Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025. 'We hope that all parties can support the completion of the Rempang Eco City Project, which is expected to contribute to the economy of Batam,' she said on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

In Appendix IV of Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025 regarding the development targets of the Riau Islands Province, there is indeed a point on 'Development of the Integrated Area of Rempang ECOCITY.' However, it is not specified as a PSN.

Edy Kurniawan Wahid, an advocate for the Solidarity for Rempang, hopes that there will soon be certainty regarding the status of Rempang Eco City being truly excluded from the list of PSN. "Because this is very worrying for the community," he said. Moreover, he stated that this project makes it easier for the authorities to carry out violence.

The Advocacy Team of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) stated that before Rempang Eco City was designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN), the community lived in harmony and self-sufficiency. However, this change in status forces them to vacate the land without being involved in the project's designation. "The results of the Ombudsman's investigation prove that there was no fair consultation with the community in designating the Rempang project," they said.

Miswadi, a Rempang resident present at the meeting, recounted that since the government designated Rempang Eco City as PSN in 2023, the residents' lives have changed. They are threatened with eviction for the sake of investment. "For two years, we have been intimidated by the police, the military, BP Batam, and PT Makmur Elok Graha (MEG)," said Wadi tearfully. "It's painful. Every day we face them."

Wadi also conveyed that the residents cannot live in peace due to attempts to seize the land, such as unauthorized land demarcation. This situation has sparked riots several times, one of which occurred on December 17-18, 2024, when residents opposing Rempang Eco City were attacked by officers from PT MEG. The incident began after residents caught someone from the company who was suspected of damaging the rejection banners. Eight residents were injured in the incident. "We are in pain. Our village is being disrupted, ravaged," said Wadi.

However, Wadi stated that the residents of Rempang choose to persevere and consistently reject eviction. The residents do not want to move even though the government promises compensation. He said the residents only want their homeland to remain. "To move from our homeland for the sake of money from the investment, we don't want that. We want to live in our village, even if it means dying in our village," he said.

Yogi Eka Sahputra contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor's Choice: Walhi Condemns Rempang 'Local Transmigration' as Forced Eviction

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