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Pay Up for Airport Pledges: Protestors
Fitri | October 07, 2011

Lombok International Airport began operating at the beginning of the month. Locals who sold their land to make way for the airport Lombok International Airport began operating at the beginning of the month. Locals who sold their land to make way for the airport's construction are protesting because they say they were promised jobs at the airport. (JG Photo/ Fitri)
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marty2011
4:05am Oct 8, 2011

"Touted as a step toward promoting Lombok and Sumbawa as new tourist destinations"

Who was the brainchild that made this statement, does he or she come from the same planet, what would a tourist want to go to Sumbawa for, if you are a surfie then go but for the normal tourist there is nothing really of interest except below standard accommodation and terrible roads.

As for Lombok I think the new airport will not bring more tourists but will see a decrease in numbers because of its actual location, people come here to relax in Senggigi or the Gili Islands.

This white elephant should be renamed to PIL, Pasar International Lombok because that is about the standard of the place, one big market which will continue to be plagued with problems until someone with a hint of a brain can keep their promises to the local people who used to own the land this structure has been built on. As for the price of the land I feel for people like Inaq who was given Rp.200.000 per hectare, shame on you Lombok government, this just shows that not only do expats and tourists get ripped off frequently but you do it to your own people without any hesitation.

Give the previous landowners jobs you promised and this may help subside the current unrest it is creating.

Oh and thanks to this white elephant I now have to travel to Jakarta on an afternoon flight with Garuda, not the early morning flight as I used to before,I was told it is cancelled, just great for business NOT.

TheDude
8:40pm Oct 7, 2011

Oh you naive people who second guess about the past. The value of the Rupiah fell from 1000 to 10,000 per US dollar during the Asian Monetary Crisis off the late 1990's. Land bought for Rp2000 per are was equal to Rp20,000 per are the current value of the Rupiah.

That still sound cheap? Not in 1997. That was the going price of rice land in those days. Consider the land where Ashtari Restaurant sits today. It was purchased for Rp.200,000/ are in 1999!

And Sukarto never promised primitive land owner anything. He had private agents buy the land for LTCD. At best they said, "someday this airport will be a better life for your children." The government was run by strongmen and the Army. No peasant was ever promised anything.

Plus, you don't know Lombok. People lie prolifically. If they think they can scam money from anybody by lying, they will do so in a moment.

MCBon
2:31pm Oct 7, 2011

am certain the developers made some empty promises and surely some shady deals have gone down in order to get it built.

but in a related article someone commented about not wanting to have un(der)trained recent ex-farmers made responsible for the daily tasks and checks needed to run an airport.

again am certain that the local communities are the ones being wronged the most; but must say that any airport anywhere without properly trained and responsible staff is no airport that i'd wish to travel through.

same goes for those wishing to turn this airport into another sk hatta circus. it's wrong that they were all each likely promised the same role of airport administrator, but the expansion of tourism and travel has to be properly regulated and managed. but instead the new facility will likely soon be another poorly managed bus stop like airport, just like that of jkt.

am really frightened by what is to come if they ever manage to open the new airport outside of medan.

pasti mantap.

Yakty-yak
2:29pm Oct 7, 2011

@Darwinista, the original airport is now closed.

Were it not for the myopic and incompetent management of this project is immediately obvious: fast-track development projects in the Kuta, Lombok area. However, these projects are stymied by the same bureaucratic sclerosis, corruption, inefficiencies, nonexistent planning and coordination, and lack of leadership that affects infrastructure projects across the Indonesian archipelago.

Until such time the government gets its (anemic) act together there is certainly plenty of work to be had at the airport itself, which despite its "opening" is still in very shoddy condition, the lack of landscaping, and pot-holed entryways alone could employ a small army for a spell until they can figure out how to tamp down the social unrest.

If wishes were fishes.....

Darwinista
1:22pm Oct 7, 2011

Two airports on a relatively small tourist island was a scam right from the beginning, what else could you expect?

Tanak Awu, West Nusa Tenggara. Hundreds of demonstrators came face-to-face with heavily armed security forces at Lombok International Airport as they blocked one of the main access roads, demanding jobs.

The demonstrators said they were disappointed by the actions of the government, which they said did not offer adequate compensation for their land and did not offer them jobs at the site, breaking earlier pledges.

The airport — touted as a step toward promoting Lombok and Sumbawa as new tourist destinations — was disrupted by the protest. Passengers were forced to use an alternative entrance.

Inaq Rosmiati, who said she was a former owner of land that is now part of the airport complex, said she was gravely disappointed that none of her children were accepted to work at the airport, which was a condition of the sale of land.

“Look at what we ended up with. I am heartbroken. Those officials acted like they don’t remember me at all,” she told the Jakarta Globe.

Inaq said she was forced to sell her land for only Rp 200,000 ($22) per hectare.

The demonstrators, most of them women, also protested against the airport management’s decision to ban street vendors and ojek drivers from the site.

When she tried to make some money selling food at the site, she was chased away by police.

“I was chased away and kicked. We used to own this land. Just let us in to sell food or mineral water here,” she said.

Lombok Tengah Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Karyono said police officers would maintain security and try to mediate between the demonstrators and the local government.

Budi said officers would not try to disperse the demonstrators despite their not having official permission to protest.

Since construction started in January 2008, the airport has suffered numerous setbacks, including security issues, the theft of construction materials and equipment, land disputes, tensions with villagers and problems with the control tower. The original opening date of March 2010 was pushed back repeatedly. It finally opened on Oct. 1, 18 months behind schedule.

Despite a constant cat-and-mouse game with airport security, Halimah, another protestor, sells food and drinks in secret.

“I smuggled food inside using my motorcycle. I parked it at the parking lot. I came to the airport legally, so I had a right to be here,” she told the Globe. But Halimah later regretted the decision upon learning that her parking fee was more than what she had earned for the day.