ACEH SINGKIL | ACEH INFO – The people of Kota Baharu Subdistrict, Aceh Singkil, firmly rejected the extension of the business use rights (HGU) of PT Nafasindo.
PT Nafasindo is a plantation company that currently manages an area of 3.007 hectares.
This rejection was conveyed by a representative of the Kota Baharu community, Ustad Rabudin, on Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
According to Ustad Rabudin, PT Nafasindo has not fulfilled its obligation to allocate 20 percent of the total HGU land area as plasma land for the community, as mandated by the plantation law.
“We witness that PT Nafasindo is more concerned with land exploitation without paying attention to the rights of local communities. We are not completely against the extension of the HGU, but the company must first fulfill its obligations to the community,” said Rabudin.
This rejection, according to Rabudin, is a form of the community’s seriousness in fighting for their rights that have been ignored.
Rabudin also urged the Aceh Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (BPN) and Aceh Singkil District BPN to review the HGU extension process, taking into account the welfare of local communities before giving approval.
He also warned the Acting Regent of Aceh Singkil, sub-district heads, and village officials whose areas are included in PT Nafasindo’s HGU area, not to support the HGU extension without fulfilling the company’s obligations to the community.
“The people of Kota Baharu hope that their aspirations will be heard and their rights as landowners recognized, in order to create justice and prosperity for all parties involved,” he concluded.