"Rempang's Eviction Crisis: Absence of Eco City Planning Raises Questions, Suspicions Surround Government Officials in Batam's Solar Power Plant Project" 27 September 2023

In the context of Rempang Island’s classification as a national strategic project, researcher Zakki Amali, affiliated with Trend Asia, has brought to light allegations of conflicts of business interests and ownership shares involving several government officials and their families. PT Makmur Elok Graha (MEG), the entity entrusted with the development of the Rempang Eco City project, is commonly associated with Tomy Winata, the founder of the Artha Graha Group.

Trend Asia’s inquiry failed to uncover Tomy Winata’s name within the company’s organizational framework. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the directors and commissioners of PT MEG, as well as individuals holding shares in firms affiliated with PT MEG, maintain close ties to both professional and social pursuits affiliated with the Artha Graha Group.

“Rempang is set to host the Xinyi Glass Holding factory, where they will manufacture solar panels. Meanwhile, in Batam, there’s a company with suspected affiliations to officials, and they have plans to construct a solar power plant, potentially serving as a prime customer for solar panels manufactured by Xinyi Glass. It’s worth noting that Rempang Island is around 3 kilometers southeast of Batam Island.” explained Zakki.

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Satrio Manggala, a representative from the Friends of the Earth International (WALHI), also emphasized a critical concern regarding the development of Rempang Eco City: the absence of adequate space allocation within both regional and national-scale spatial planning.

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Meanwhile, in Presidential Regulation No. 41 of 2022, the Zoning Plan (RZ KAW) for the North Natuna-Natuna Inter-Regional Marine Area explicitly mentions a list of National Strategic Projects, but no space allocation planning for the establishment of Rempang Eco City is mentioned.

In the National Regional Spatial Plan, as governed by Government Regulation Number 13 of 2017, there is nothing specifically indicating a space allocation for the development of Rempang Eco City,” he said...

“Because of its proximity to both freshwater and marine ecosystems, Rempang Island is especially vulnerable to harmful business activities.” Smaller islands, such as Rempang, lack a transitional zone between coastal and interior areas, unlike bigger islands.”

The Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) representative, Linda Dewi Rahayu, emphasized that the Rempang conflict was not a sudden occurrence but rather the culmination of a long-standing dispute that erupted on September 7 and 11. Upon close examination, the agrarian conflict on Rempang Island reveals a long-standing issue that spans from the post-independence era through the New Order administration up to the present day.