By Melly Setyawati (this article was written after discussing with Andiko, Bernadinus Steni, and Siti Rahma Mary)

For the past few months, Pulau Padang has attracted a lot of public and government attention. It all started with actions from farmers and activists of Pulau Padang who staged a mouth-sewing protest by setting up a compassion tent in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPR) offices in Jakarta. Around 38 individuals participated in the mouth-sewing protest in Jakarta. They are part of a coalition named the Forum Komunikasi Masyarakat Penyelamat Pulau Padang (FKMP3). The mouth-sewing protest was a form of protest against the issuance of Minister of Forestry Decree Number 327 of 2009 (hereinafter referred to as the Minister of Forestry Decree 327) which granted an expansion of the concession permit for PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (PT RAPP) for an Industrial Plantation Forest (HTI) covering an area of 41,205 hectares without consulting with the local community. Most of the land within the concession area is part of the residents’ plantations and settlements that will be converted into HTI areas for acacia plantations to meet the needs of the paper and pulp industry produced by PT RAPP.

This is Pulau Padang

Many people mistakenly believe that Pulau Padang is part of West Sumatra Province due to the similarity in name with the provincial capital. However, Pulau Padang is actually located within the Kepulauan Riau Province, specifically in the youngest regency, Kabupaten Kepulauan Meranti, which was formed from the division of Kabupaten Bengkalis in 2008. The island consists of only one district, Merbau district, 14 villages, and 1 urban village.

With an area of approximately 110,000 hectares, Pulau Padang is home to around thirty-five thousand inhabitants from various ethnic groups including Malay, Javanese, Bugis, Minang, Lombok, Batak, who coexist with the indigenous “Sakai/Akid” tribe. There is hardly any distinction made between the immigrant and indigenous populations in the community. Therefore, inter-ethnic marriages are common among the residents of Pulau Padang. The diversity of the island’s population contradicts the statement made by officials of the Ministry of Forestry claiming that Pulau Padang is “empty” or uninhabited.

The majority of Pulau Padang’s population earn a living as farmers, mainly producing sago and rubber. It is understandable that the residents feel anxious when their agricultural land falls within PT RAPP’s concession area. This situation significantly impacts the community’s sources of income and the sustainability of their livelihoods on Pulau Padang.

The Justification of PT RAPP

PT RAPP is the largest company in Indonesia and the second largest in the Asia Pacific region. Owned by Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), the company was established in 1992 and started its operations in 1995, primarily in Riau Province. The conglomerate Raja Garuda Mas (RGM) owned by Sukanto Tanoto oversees the company. Besides being involved in the pulp and paper industry, PT RAPP also holds HTI concessions as a source of raw materials to meet its significant production needs.

Under the pretext of meeting their large production targets, PT RAPP expanded its concession permit. PT RAPP obtained the expansion of its area gradually (Teguh Yuwono, 2011). Starting in 2003, two partner companies of PT RAPP handed over their areas to PT RAPP, namely PT Nusa Prima Manunggal and PT Selaras Abadi Utama. Consequently, PT RAPP submitted an application for the expansion of its concession area through a letter from the CEO of PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper numbered 50/RAPP/VI/2004 dated June 15, 2004, which was then supported by a Forestry Service letter numbered 522.1/PR/0914 dated June 16, 2004.

Based on these letters, the Governor issued a recommendation to the Minister of Forestry to strengthen PT RAPP’s concession area application through a letter numbered 522/EKBANG/33.10 dated July 2, 2004, wherein the Governor of Riau supported the conversion recommendation of forest development from