The presence of the Indonesian Army in overseeing national strategic projects and the occupation of territories (source: merauke.go.id).
THE Indonesian government through the Ministry of Defense and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is increasingly busy with various new projects. This happened when President Jokowi appointed Prabowo Subianto, the former Army general in the New Order (Orba) era as Minister of Defense. Now the former son-in-law of President Soeharto (the ruler of the New Order) has become president, replacing Jokowi.
Then, the discourse of the Dual Function of ABRI (TNI) which was initially controversial since the start of the Reformation era in 1998/1999, actually changed to ‘Multy Function TNI’. Namely, the TNI is not only a state defense and security force, but can take on roles in the government and civil arenas. This task was then strengthened by the Draft Law on the TNI which on March 20, 2025 was ratified into Law.
In relation to Papua, the TNI is tasked with overseeing 3 priority programs that are on the state agenda. Among them, overseeing the National Strategic Project (PSN), Occupation Politics (overseeing transmigration programs or the like) and Expansion of the Military Territorial Structure; such as the Agricultural Battalion, Construction/Development Battalion, Military Regional Command (Kodim), to the formation of a new Military Regional Command (Kodam) that guards 5 new provinces in Papua.
With the additional task, plus previous tasks such as protecting vital objects, investment projects and infrastructure development, all of them then become a series of policy products that threaten the existence of the Papuan Indigenous Community (MAP). The product is arranged in a political scheme of occupation and exploitation of Papua’s natural resources.
Papuans have always seen every policy of the Indonesian Colonial State as a product of crime that can cause genocide, ecocide and ethnocide based on the track record of past Human Rights violations. Papuans have long known the true nature of the Indonesian state which has political motives of occupation and greed for Papua’s natural resources, without regard for their right to life.
The presence of PSN is a development of the previous project, Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) in southern Papua. The project, which will acquire 2.5 to 3 million hectares of Marind indigenous land, was previously started during the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Then continued by President Jokowi in 2020 by changing its name to PSN, and is now continued by Prabowo.
A similar fantastic project that had failed in several regions in Indonesia was promised as an integrated effort to develop food, energy and economy in the southern region of Papua. If examined, it turns out that this project will only be oriented towards migrant workers who will flood and dominate the Merauke region whose native population is already very small.
The Merauke region, which is generally flat, vast and rich in natural resources, is considered important because it is the boundary of the slogan of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) from Sabang to Merauke. So the presence of the Merauke PSN is predicted to become one of the national food production centers. Because the project that uses giant land not only develops modern rice farming (paddy fields) and oil palm plantations, but also cassava, sugar cane, betatas (sweet potatoes), and bioethanol.
This ambitious project that robs indigenous people’s land and destroys Papua’s tropical forests is targeted to run in 5 districts: Merauke, Boven Digul, Keerom, Sarmi and Sorong Regency (development of Special Economic Zones/KEK). This policy is of course motivated by the motive of capital accumulation interests for imperialism, capitalism, and colonialism as the guard dogs of the capitalist garden.
The Indonesian Colonial Government before launching PSN, should have conducted an Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL). But this was not done! Because of the desire to control and exploit Papua’s natural resources, the implementation of PSN was forced in a hurry!
As a result, the Marind indigenous people in Merauke continue to reject land clearing activities and the presence of companies. This is evidence that the oppressive policies and criminal practices of the Indonesian state have ignored the rights of indigenous peoples (citizens) of Papua as land owners.
The Indonesian government, with all its tricks, uses the argument that the Republic of Indonesia will experience a food and energy crisis due to global warming. In fact, Papuans know that this is empty talk. However, it is deliberately used by the Indonesian government to carry out the political economic motives of occupation and the process of capital accumulation for the oligarchy network.
The indigenous people of Merauke and Papua in general have a track record of capital accumulation processes that have robbed them of their rights to land and natural resources through various tricks. In Merauke, for example, there were previously 36 companies affiliated with the MIFEE program. These companies then took over the land of the Marind indigenous people.
Of course, such practices are inseparable from the nature of capitalism and colonialism that use the hands of the Indonesian state to rob Papua’s land and natural resources. From data released by the Pusaka Foundation (2024), the land seized by companies for new rice field projects, sugar cane, and irrigation canal construction has reached 2 million hectares. Land acquisition was carried out without the consent of indigenous peoples.
From the total land area, the sugarcane and bioethanol plantation development project managed by 10 companies covers an area of 500 hectares. Meanwhile, the land optimization project (Oplah) through the mechanism of irrigation channel farming and agricultural machinery cleaning (Alsinta) in 6 Districts (Kurik, Tanah Miring, Merauke, Semangga, Jagebob, Malind), utilizes an area of 400 hectares. This project is managed jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, local governments, TNI, farmers and Polbangtan students.
Furthermore, the new rice field printing project is also managed jointly by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Agriculture, with a land area reaching 1 million hectares. This project includes the construction of food security facilities and infrastructure.
This reality is evidence of crimes against humanity committed systematically against the indigenous Papuan people (especially the Marind people) by the government, companies and the military (TNI/Polri) by seizing their land. Whereas the Marind people in Merauke have always lived from generation to generation depending on what nature provides (forests, rivers, lakes, seas) and from the results of cultivating the land traditionally.
Thus, the PSN launched by the Indonesian Government in Papua can generally be concluded as a product of systematic crimes against humanity (genocide) and the environment (ecocide) against the Papuan people. This policy is not to realize welfare and prosperity for the Papuan people and indigenous people. But it brings disaster!
(*) Varra Iyaba is the writer of this article. He is a Papuan student activist.
