On April 29, 2014, I was very excited to be part of interesting field
trip to Bojonegoro. The field trip was a part of Asia-Pasific Hub
Training “Improving the Governance of Extractive Industries” which is
organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM)-Revenue Watch Institute
(RWI). It was very interesting not only because of the training itself
but also the filed trip took place on my hometown. Fortunately, I got
opportunity to visit my hometown as part of training agenda. It meant,
only at that time, I have to act and think more as so-called observer
instead as local. Hopefully, I would able to get an alternative
perspective to perceive the existing oil and gas industry impacts in my
hometown.
In the beginning, we visited government office to have discussion
with govenment official and private sector which is represented by Mobil
Cepu Ltd (International Oil Company) and PT.Bangkit Bangun Sarana
(Local Government Enterprise). We discussed on how government and
private sector take role in dealing with extractive industries
management as well as problems. I found it quite inspiring when I heard
they have done many efforts to ensure the revenue of oil and gas will
give benefit more to the people. Social economy impacts of extractive
industry have also been taken into their consideration. People have
expectation, company have to do business as usual, and government need
to make sure that company business shall not displaced people rights and
interest. For that reason, Bojonegoro government issued regulation
namely local content policy No.23/2011 for enabling local potential and
people to involve in extractive industries. They also work hand in hand
with Civil Society Organization (CSO) to conduct transparency initiative
in order to make sure that extractive industries management running
well. To meet the needs of people of getting open access of information
related extractive industries, the government open public dialogue every
Friday. Even, the head of regency (Bupati) inform and open
publicly his phone number and email as well to public in order they can
communicate directly to him. Through that way, people can speak up all
of problems related to development. I am very glad that my government
have been well-informed and having good initiative to manage oil and gas
reserves.
 |
| Participants and local people are discussing topics on how Gayam Village dealing with extractive industry impact. (Photo: Defirentia One) |
Late at the afternoon, we visited Gayam Village. It is one of
so-called oil-rich site in Bojonegoro. Looking around that site, I
wondered why Gayam Village could be really different compare to the one I
ever visited several years ago. I could hardly saw a wide green rice
fields which I always saw before. Instead, I saw some refineries on the
site which are protected with multi layer gates and overseen by many
securities. I figure out many things in the village have changed. As the
government explained in the previous session, about 600 hectares land
in the villages were released for oil sites. I can hardly imagine, how
could the farmers afford their livelihood while no land to use? Or
perhaps, the question is, how the farmers spend the money they got from
land acquisition? Neither government nor CSO have detail data related to
this problems.
The Situation
In the meantime, we had a discussion with the chief of Gayam Village, Pak Winto,
and his society. I hoped my curiosity on how farmer spend the money
could be answered. From the discussion, I noticed that people facing
problem regarding the presence of oil industry. After massive conversion
of land use, local livelihood are getting worse. Farmers could not
afford for sustainable earning. Even, those whose land was sold to
company, spent the money for unnecessary things. They built new houses,
bought cars, motor bikes, and went shopping. The massive inflows of
money in society causes the massive consumerism. Some of them did not
know how to spent the money despite some other have invest the money for
more sustainable things. For instance, as good practice, they invest to
create small scale business to displace the traditional economy of
farming.
For another reason, I assumed that people in the village remained
rely their livelihood on the use of land. Land is the main means of
production for farmer. Farmer’s income are getting lower and worse. Many
farmers lost their land and job. Meanwhile, they wish the industry to
bring better impact on their life. Local people struggle over their
rights and wealth. They speak up to the government as well as company to
employ them in oil company. No wonder. Because local people are
watching day to day activities of oil company and they realised the
daily impacts on their life. They figure out many new comers entering
their village. Local people assumed that new comers could have better
income and wealth. Because in their mindset, being part of oil and gas
industry will bring a blessing in their livelihood. It is a very common
view of local people in Gayam Village.
In the middle of discussion, I tried to deliver question to
community. “If you noticed that the farmer life are getting worse due to
the massive conversion of that land, do you still want to be farmer?” A
woman wearing green hijab answered, “No, we do not. We want to
be employed by the company.” The similar answer delivered by two young
ladies who studied in local university. “We do not want to be a farmer.
We wish to work at oil company,” they said. From their eyes, I could see
a big expectation. No doubt, these young ladies were very confident to
speak up their future dream.
Why the local people put really high attention as well as big
expectation to the oil and gas industry in their area? As previously
came to my mind, the presence of oil and gas industry in my hometown,
Bojonegoro, indeed should come along with a huge expectation for the
wealth of people. For long decades, many people there have been living
under endemic poverty. Even, it was documented by CLM Penders
(University of Queensland Australia) in his book, “Bojonegoro 1900-1942 :
A story of Endemic Poverty in North East Java Indonesia.” There is no
surprise if people relies their expectation on the blessing of oil and
gas. According to people mindset, the revenue from oil and gas shall
raise economic growth, increase job and revenue, as well as improve life
quality due to the development. Thus, government must take role to
manage revenue from oil and gas effectively and ensure that development
will contribute reducing the poverty.
For me, upcoming question is how effective the revenue from oil and
gas sector to support the development of other economic sector? In this
case, the government of Bojonegoro would face challenges to increased
economic growth from oil exploration meanwhile they have to ensure
non-oil sector remain competitive for the development as well. I find it
also important to ensure the development of agricultural sector for
villagers since some of them still rely on agriculture.
The Need for Information
Why people remain over expecting? Currently, the most strategic
issues in Bojonegoro is oil and gas. Because it involves the role of
government on one side, and people who become direct beneficiaries as
well as bad impact of the oil and gas industry on the other side. People
here are stakeholders so that they must have room for delivering
aspiration and doing advocacy for their interests. In the context of
bojonegoro, channel for communication apparently appears in various
forms of public space and media.
In order to make people well-informed about what happening and how
development running on oil and gas. Many forms of media are also
initiated by civil society, such as tabloid (BlokBojonegoro, Halo Bojonegoro, Suara Banyuurip, etc), public dialogue, book, even daily discussion in Koffie warung (small
family-owned coffee shop). Why do coffee shops even turn into a public
space for talking about oil and gas? Why were the people elevating day
to day discussion about it?
There was a massive discourse regarding oil and gas in local media.
They even created more positive news about prosperity which is promised
by oil and gas. It made people imagining that their village could be
oil-rich sites seems likes Qatar, Brunei, Texas, and Arab. Construction
of the initial thoughts were formed, that is the one which reported by
media and come into people discussion by people every day.
Then, the influence of local media coverage is the construction of
oil-wealth discourse. However, there is still a gap between the
discourse (information) which is created by media and the reality. What
society perceived on day to day reality is quite far from their
expectations. It could be happend, if there is gap between reality and
sources of information.
For that reason, disclosure of information in public space become
dillemma. On the one hand, people are able to get a better understanding
on the existing issues, but in other hand the massive information could
rise to the demands of people. Society needs to criticize and catch
existing opportunities to prepare them selves for facing the extractive
industry as well as increase their ability to encounter the bad impact
of extractive industry on their environment and social life. Here,
participation is required in the context of governance and information
disclosure to the public. It is needed to accommodate people
participation by creating a better public sphere for communication. (*)
Author information:
Defirentia One Muharomah was born in Bojonegoro. She
lives in small village in the western part of Bojonegoro. Her life
experience inhabiting the oil-rich area has raised her concern on oil
and gas industry.
