TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA) called on the central government and Jakarta provincial administration to annul all permits on the reclamation project of Jakarta Bay that was considered a form of criminalization of fishers by the developers.

“We ask President Jokowi to immediately revoke the issuance of the land utilization certificate (HPL) of Islet C and D,” said the coalition’s secretary-general Susan Herawati in a written statement on Tuesday, February 4.

According to Susan, the HPL resulted in the issuance of the right-to-build certificates (HGB) of the islets with a total area of 3.12 million square meters or 312 hectares by North Jakarta Land Agency (BPN) for the developer PT Kapuk Naga Indah, a subsidiary of Agung Sedayu Group, on August 24, 2017.

KIARA also demanded Jakarta administration to remove the Gubernatorial Regulation No. 206/2016 on the design guidelines of reclaimed islet C, D, and E of Jakarta Northcoast strategic area and regional regulation No. 8/1995 on the reclamation and spatial planning of Pantura areas, which were the basis of the issuance of the building permit certificate (IMB) for 932 buildings in Islet D.

Susan asserted that the project was not beneficial for fishers in Jakarta Bay and the general community. Instead, they need clean and healthy seas as their food barns. “It is only favorable for property developers,” she said.

Earlier reported, two fishers from Dadap named Muhamad Alwi and Ade Sukanda have just been released by Central Jakarta District Court. The developer Kukuh Mandiri Lestari, a joint venture of Agung Sedayu Group and Salim Group, in December 2017 lodged a report against them for unpleasant acts as they demanded compensation for their damaged farms of green mussel due to the reclamation project.

"KIARA appreciates the North Jakarta District Court’s ruling for the two Jakarta Bay fishers," said Susan in response to the judge’s verdict issued on Monday, February 3.

M YUSUF MANURUNG