Sofyan Wanandi, the chief of the Association of Indonesian Employers (Apindo), said Indonesia`s image as an investment destination would be eroded and damaged if demonstrations against private investment by some groups were allowed to continue.
Therefore, he called on the police and other agencies concerned to take the necessary measures to curb the anti-investment activism.
He said too many demonstrations had happened that created the impression as if the people were being oppressed while in reality the rallies were just expressions of anarchism.
"They want to present themselves as heroic fighters for humanitarian causes while in fact they are mere anarchists," he said.
A group of people from the Communication Forum of Pulau Padang Community (FKMP3) have in the past few days demonstrated at the parliament building to protest against the foreign minister`s decision on industrial forest development in Pulau Padang, Riau. Some of the demonstrators had sewn their mouths to dramatize their protest.
Sofyan said actually the public was not impressed by such actions because it was understood that the demonstrators were paid by certain quarters.
"I understand the game well because I used to lead thousands of demonstrators," he said.
He said businessmen in principle could no longer be influenced by such actions.
House Commission IV deputy chairman Firman Subagio said he would protect the traditional community members who had documents and evidence showing that their land had been grabbed.
"We will protect traditional community members whose lands were taken by private investors. But if the situation is the other way round, meaning they are the ones who had grabbed the land, they must be given harsh sanctions," he said.
He said the forestry ministry may not issue licenses at will without recommendations from the regional governments. "We however will still ask for an explanation from the parties concerned and hope the demonstrators will introspect," he said.
Firman also asked all parties to introspect to settle the alleged grabbing of land in Pulau Padang.
The executive director of the Association of Indonesian Forestry Businessmen (APHI), Nanang Rohandi, said there were a lot of cases in the forestry industry and a lot of demonstrators did not understand what they actually were demanding.
"Usually demonstrators are mere pawns who are sacrificed by certain groups who have bigger interests," he said.
Nanang said a Industrial Forest Concession (HTI) given to a company is actually a permit for leasing state land but some people claim the land is theirs.
"Here is the problem making its settlement to be protracted and unending. Worse still is people seem to be on the losing side while the fact is they are the encroachers," he said.
Commission II chairman of the legislative assembly of Meranti Islands, Riau, Ruby Handoko, said the action has actually been done several times in various occasions in Riau but it has never been supported by the people. "They do not have legal evidence to support their demand and have only forced their will," he said.
Ruby suspected the action against the development of industrial forests by the Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) in Pulau Padang was used by certain parties.
Teguh, a youth leader in Pulau Padang said those who reject RAPP number only 540 out of 35,975,00 people of Pulau Padang. "And they are all new comers. A check could be made on their IDs showing that most of them came from Java Island. They have given no real contribution to the development here," he said. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
