This is because development of the tourism sector may affect resources that residents harness daily in their regionJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Commission on Human Rights reminded the government to take into account the people's livelihoods and address issues that may likely arise in development of the tourism sector.
"This is because development of the tourism sector may affect resources that residents harness daily in their region," the commission's deputy chair for external affairs, Amiruddin, said here on Wednesday.
The authority must mitigate likely issues, especially those relevant to the residents' livelihood, which may arise during development of the region's tourism industry, he affirmed.
Apart from mitigating likely issues, the authority must also consider whether tourism development will benefit residents around the development site allocated for the tourism industry, the deputy chair pointed out.
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"We need to intensively consult residents affected by tourism development to prevent them from falling into the poverty trap due to the project," Amiruddin stated.
He cautioned that tourism development in an area might isolate residents from essential resources or commodities that they utilise on a daily basis, and to this end, the authority should take mitigatory steps against likely effects arising from this issue.
"If the tourism development project instead causes the residents to become destitute and isolated, then we need to ponder over the main objective behind the project in relation to the people's livelihood," the deputy chair affirmed.
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Amiruddin highlighted his involvement to address the complaints of residents affected by the development of an airport in West Java constructed to boost the region's tourism industry.
Despite residents being convinced about the airport's benefits for the local economy, Amiruddin recounted engaging in dialog with the affected locals in the region for over a decade.
"We need to engage in dialog with the affected residents and ensure fulfilment of their rights before requesting them to relocate," the deputy chair stated.
Amiruddin expects his action to be emulated by government officials in ensuring that residents will be the most benefited by the tourism development project.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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