InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA — The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is urging the government to halt all licensing processes that allow forest conversion into oil palm plantations. The call comes after a series of ecological disasters struck North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh in recent weeks.
Djarot Saiful Hidayat, Chairman of PDIP’s Central Leadership Board, stressed the need for strict government action to stop the rapid conversion of forests for extractive industries, including palm oil. He said environmental conditions in these regions had reached a critical point.
“Oil palm is an arrogant crop. It absorbs extraordinary amounts of water but cannot retain it. A moratorium must be enforced to stop land-use conversion,” Djarot said after attending PDIP Central Kalimantan’s Regional Conference at Bahalap Hotel, Palangka Raya.
According to him, the heavy rains that recently hit Sumatra were not the main cause of the floods and landslides; they were merely a trigger. The true root of the disaster, he said, lies in large-scale land conversion that continues unchecked.
“Millions of hectares have already been converted. Oil palm cannot be equated with forest trees like ulin, coconut, acacia, or meranti — they are entirely different,” he emphasized, as quoted by InfoSAWIT from PDIP East Java, Thursday (4/12/2025).
The former North Sumatra gubernatorial candidate also criticized corporate practices contributing to environmental damage. He called on the government to thoroughly audit companies suspected of violating land management regulations.
“Companies that violate the rules must be investigated, and if necessary, their permits revoked and their operations shut down,” he said.
Djarot stated that the recent floods and landslides across Sumatra cannot be separated from environmental exploitation by large corporations in the palm oil, mining, and plantation sectors.
“The damage is severe — from Aceh to West Sumatra. Entire villages have even disappeared,” he said.
Following the regional conferences in North Sumatra, PDIP has agreed to take a firmer political stance, demanding that the government act against corporations destroying forests.
“This independence was fought for with tears. Why are we allowing this destruction to happen now? It is time to reflect and reassess what we have done,” Djarot concluded. (T2)
