The willingness of Rempang residents to move voluntarily is a form of serious support for the Rempang Eco City program. Every day, more and more heads of families (KK) are recorded as being relocated to Tanjung Banon from the Rempang Eco City area. Of course, this relocation is fully supported by the Government for the sake of economic progress on the island.
Deputy Chair of the Local Indigenous Community Relations (Keramat), Syamsu Rizal, said that Rempang residents welcomed the Rempang Eco City project as a long-term investment in order to advance economically like other regions in Indonesia. Therefore, Rempang residents registered themselves to take part in the relocation program.
Syamsu Rizal added that there are still a number of families who have not registered for the relocation program, but this does not mean they refuse, but rather that residents who have not registered are still unsure about the amount of compensation money and the status of the land given, including the certificate.
Currently, the total number of families occupying temporary housing is 83 families, including 9 additional families who have just joined recently. The 9 families who started moving to temporary housing came from Sembulang Tanjung, 6 families, 2 families from Pasir Panjang, and 1 family from Pasir Merah.
One of the residents of Pasir Panjang, Salim, said that his transfer was their support for the Rempang Eco City National Strategic Project (PSN). His party will support all Government programs including PSN Rempang Eco City which will be progress for the Rempang area. Salim also believes that the development of the Rempang Eco City project will provide many benefits for his two children in the future.
Pasir Merah resident, Dian, also conveyed the same thing. He said that shifting himself and his family to temporary housing would be a new start for a better life in the future for the people of Rempang as well as for himself and his family.
Meanwhile, another resident from Blongkeng, Suriana, said that the shift in residence made by her and her family was a choice from day to day without any intervention from any party. This choice stems from his desire for the Rempang community’s economy to be more advanced with the Rempang Eco City project, so that people’s lives can change, especially the younger generation who will finally have the opportunity to get better jobs. He also believes that the Government program can definitely provide the common good for the entire community.
Head of BP Batam, Muhammad Rudi, said that shifting residents affected by the development of the Rempang Eco City project requires a long and not easy process. He emphasized that he would continue to be committed to prioritizing humanist principles in carrying out this shift so that the relocation process could continue gradually and continuously.
On the other hand, the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) regarding guaranteeing the rights of Rempang Island residents continues to progress and is recorded as having reached 95 percent. Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, said that this regulation will later regulate compensation for Rempang Island residents affected by the Rempang Eco City project.
In the issuance of this Presidential Decree, residents affected by relocation will receive a certain amount of compensation money, where the money is divided into two types, namely transition money or money waiting for a house to be finished, amounting to IDR 1.2 million which will be given by the Government to each person, and IDR 1.2 million for house contract that will be given per KK.
Bahlil Lahadalia stated that more than 50 percent of Rempang Island residents had voluntarily and without coercion registered themselves and their families for a change of residence. Meanwhile, several others had already occupied temporary housing. So far, the process of changing residence is going well by prioritizing good communication with the affected communities. The community’s response was positive so they could be invited to work together in developing Rempang Island.
This proves that the public trusts the Government’s efforts to advance the national economy, one of which is by building the Rempang Eco City project. The community also believes that this project will provide many benefits for the surrounding community, such as increasing the number of workforce absorption which will of course improve the quality of life and welfare of the community, as well as ensuring that the lives of the people of Rempang Island will be more decent. That way, Rempang residents don’t need to worry because the Government will guarantee all the rights of Rempang Island residents so that they have a strong legal umbrella in regulating all compensation for Rempang Island residents.
