JAKARTA (UCAN): University students in Indonesia have lent their support to Catholic farmers in East Nusa Tenggara province struggling to resist a geothermal project that they claim will destroy their way of life.
The students held simultaneous demonstrations in Kupang, the provincial capital, and in Jakarta on February 9, to urge the government to cancel the project.
The rallies were in response to the farmers being told by government officials late last month that the World Bank-funded project with electricity reserves of around 45 megawatts will begin in West Manggarai district on the island of Flores.
The farmers oppose the geothermal project, which involves generating power using steam produced by the heat emanating from the Earth’s core, because it would mean drilling sites on their land.
Yusuf Hendra, a student representative, said the Jakarta protest took place outside the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and was an act of solidarity with farmers whose voices were ignored.
“The government unilaterally signed a cooperation agreement with a company to start this project. This one-sided affair raises questions as to whose interests are really being served,” he said.
He said drilling points would have a profound impact on farmers’ lives.
“One site is only about 60 metres from a residential area,” he said.
At the Kupang protest, students criticised provincial authorities for remaining silent about the project following an earlier rally in West Manggarai district on February 3 by the Catholic Student Association to demand the project be stopped
Deditus Medium, another student, said the failure of another geothermal project on Flores was also a cause for concern.
“A geothermal scheme in Ngada district failed completely and caused severe damage to the surrounding environment. Rice fields cannot be used anymore because the water source has dried up,” he said.
At the Kupang protest, students criticised provincial authorities for remaining silent about the project following an earlier rally in West Manggarai district on February 3 by the Catholic Student Association to demand the project be stopped.
The project, which was first touted in 2015, has some support in the area, but many farmers supported by environmental activists still oppose it.
The Catholic Church is split on the issue. Bishop Siprianus Hormat of the Diocese of Ruteng, which covers the area, has written to the president, Joko Widodo, supporting it. However, other Church institutions, such as the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Franciscans and the Divine Word congregations continue to stand with the farmers who oppose it.
Venansius Haryanto from Sunspirit for Justice and Peace, a non-government organisation based in West Manggarai district said one crucial thing about this project is that there is no definite safety or security guarantee for residents.
“No one can give definite guarantees regarding safety. This is necessary following the failure of other such projects,” he said.
“There is no argument from the government or energy companies that can totally answer residents’ concerns,” he added.
