Divine Word priest Father Simon Suban Tukan. (Photo supplied)
By UCA News reporter
Jul 28 2023
Pro-government media outlets in Indonesia have accused an activist priest of turning local villagers against a state-sponsored geothermal project in Christian-majority Flores Island, which the priest denounced as “fabricated.”
Online portal Infopertama.com published a report on July 25 that alleged Divine Word priest, Father Simon Suban Tukan, has been behind protests by villagers against the power project at Poco Leok in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province.
The report accused the priest, the chairman of Divine Word’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC-SVD) for being the organizer of a women’s march against the project last month.
It ended after police reportedly charged in and beat up protesters, leaving several injured and one person hospitalized.
The report on the Bahasa Indonesian language site said that all protests against the project including the women march “were instigated” by Father Tukan.
It alleged that some of the women were willing to go topless as a form protest against the power project.
The report quoted Raimundus Wajong, a resident who supports the scheme, saying that Father Tukan “recruited Poco Leok residents to reject the project.”
Last week, another outlet, Suaranusantara.co, accused the priest of “provoking residents to reject the project” and “damaging people’s lives.”
The project spearheaded by a state-run company and funded by the Germany-based Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) bank, has triggered protests from villagers who say it will take away their ancestral land.
As part of the project, the authorities have measured the land area and marked 16 drilling points across 10 villages. Most of the residents are Catholics under Ruteng diocese.
The media campaign came as villagers intensified their opposition in recent weeks.
On July 5, Poco Leok residents rallied in front of the Land Agency office in Manggarai Regency to protest against the measuring of what they said was their land.
They also sought the intervention of the local government to stop the project.
The smear campaign against him came after he visited villagers who were injured during last month’s protest, Father Tukan said.
He denied residents opposed the project because of his commission.
“They voiced their opposition before we assisted them,” he told UCA News.
He said that they have been assisting the villagers since last year when they came asking for help.
In January, he said, representatives from 10 villages met him again, then submitted a letter requesting help the following month.
He said the media targeted him because of his advocacy against geothermal projects, adding that he won’t respond to the attacks.
Poco Leok villager, Tadeus Sukardin, said they asked for Church assistance because “we felt powerless against the project.”
“We rejected the project because we were worried about the impact on our lives, as the drilling points are very close to our villages and fields,” he said.
The project, claiming to be a national strategic project, is part of a local power plant expansion.
Ulumbu power plant, about three kilometers west of Poco Leok, is increasing capacity to 40 megawatts from 10 megawatts.
According to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Flores Island has a total geothermal potential of 902 megawatts, or 65 percent of the total capacity in East Nusa Tenggara province. – UCA News
