The Indonesian Community of Washington, D.C. Stands Against the Destruction of Bali’s Environment

Washington, D.C (Metrobali.com)-

Over the past two years, numerous civil society organizations have joined together as part of the Bali People’s Forum Against Reclamation (ForBALI), asserting their opposition to a plan to destroy the island’s Benoa Bay. ForBALI represents the diversity of Bali’s civil society, including environmental activists, artists, traditional community groups, and representatives of the island’s tourism industry. We stand together to reject the plan to “reclaim” 838 hectares of Benoa Bay for commercial development, a plan that will benefit investors at an unbearable cost to Bali’s natural and cultural sustainability. While investors profit, Bali’s citizens will bear the burden of long-term environmental damage, along with the destruction of their livelihoods, traditional communities, and economic well-being. Indonesia’s government, along with the provincial administration of Bali, have failed to listen to their own citizens and to heed the warnings of scientific experts.

The area slated for reclamation had previously been designated a Marine Conservation Zone (Presidential Decree No. 45/2011), protecting it from development due to its central place in Bali’s ecosystem. Filling in the bay risks a backward flow of seawater that could see low-lying coastal areas of South Bali flooded. The destruction of mangroves, coral and sea grasses would disrupt Bali’s delicate environmental balance, remove a vital barrier against tsunamis in this earthquake-prone region, and threaten traditional marine livelihoods. At the end of his term, Indonesia’s outgoing president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, revoked this protection, issuing Presidential Decree No. 51/2014, which opens the door to the destruction of Benoa Bay. Issued without consultation with local communities and in contradiction of respected scientific experts who deemed the project an environmental disaster in the making, this Presidential Decree is a violation of transparency that tarnishes Indonesia’s international reputation as an emerging democracy.

With legal protections gone, one of Indonesia’s most powerful corporations, the Artha Graha Group, a conglomerate with strong connections to government, has openly stated that it is the primary investor behind a plan to “reclaim” Benoa Bay. Its Dubai-style plan would use locallymined rock to fill in the bay, building luxury entertainment and shopping complexes, casinos, a golf course, a theme park, resort hotels, apartment buildings, villas and a Formula 1 racetrack. Since announcing their plans, investors, including those from the corporation created to manage the bay’s development, PT Tirta Wahana Bali International, have engaged in a concerted effort to sway public opinion of the project. In an act of blatant “greenwashing,” the term “reclamation” has been replaced by “revitalization.” Local government officials have been recruited to lend support to the project, and an aggressive campaign has been mounted to try and persuade local communities that the profits to be made outweigh the risk of environmental devastation.

The plan to reclaim Benoa Bay directly contradicts scientific evidence provided by the Indonesian government’s own Bureau of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), which has stated that the area to be developed is at high risk for disaster, including earthquakes and tsunamis. Studies by Conservation International have also clearly demonstrated the environmental ruin the project will cause, including rising sea levels surrounding the project, a major threat to coastal communities already vulnerable to climate change. The Indonesian community of Washington, D.C., along with U.S. supporters of environmental justice, offer their support to the Bali People’s Forum Against Reclamation. We stand against environmental destruction, corporate greed, and corruption. We stand with Balinese who are struggling to ensure the marine ecosystem is protected, the livelihoods of coastal communities are ensured, and that their island is protected against greed-driven overdevelopment.

We call upon Indonesia’s President, Joko Widodo, and his government to repeal Presidential Decree No. 51/2014, protect Benoa Bay against reclamation, and institute legal measures to ensure Bali is safe from destructive commercial development over the long term. A peaceful protest will be held on Sunday, April 11, 2015 at 2 p.m. in front of the U.S. Congress Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Those participating in this event will include members of the Balinese community and the Indonesian community of the greater Washington area, as well as U.S. citizens committed to preventing environmental destruction. RED-MB