Moi Kelim Indigenous Youth Reject DOB and PSN
Representatives of the Moi Kelim Indigenous Youth handed over an aspirational document to the Papuan People's Assembly (Majelis Rakyat Papua/MRP) during an aspiration-gathering event organized by the MRP of Southwest Papua Province. The event took place at the community hall of Klaso District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
The document is a petition rejecting the proposed formation of the Malamoi Regency as a New Autonomous Region (DOB) and opposing the National Strategic Project (Proyek Strategis Nasional/PSN) in Sorong Regency. The PSN, which is based on oil palm plantation development, has been proposed by PT Fajar Surya Persada Group. It is planned to cover seven districts in Sorong Regency: Seget, Salawati, Beraur, Klamono, Sayosa, Segun, Buk, and Klaso.
Onesimus Paa, a youth representative of the Moi Kelim Indigenous People from Klalik Village, expressed several reasons for their rejection of the proposed Malamoi DOB and PSN. According to him, these two initiatives pose a threat of displacing indigenous communities from their customary lands. Furthermore, the project endangers the preservation of the Klaso landscape, which is one of the last remaining natural territories of the Moi Kelim people in Sorong Regency.
He added that the proposed Malamoi DOB and the oil palm plantation project are inseparable. The creation of the new administrative region is suspected to serve as a gateway for extractive industries, such as oil palm plantations, to establish their operations. Additionally, he stated that the programs offer no positive impact for the Moi Indigenous People, but instead lead to marginalization and environmental degradation. For these reasons, the Moi Indigenous People are urging the Southwest Papua MRP to support their demand to reject the proposed DOB and PSN.
Nela Ulimpa, a female representative of the Moi Kelim Indigenous People, emphasized that the forests and customary lands of the Moi tribe were passed down by their ancestors to be protected and used traditionally and sustainably for future generations. Therefore, the Moi Kelim community refuses to let their ancestral lands be taken and destroyed.
Moreover, she stated that the Moi tribe has already had a negative experience. In the implementation of the expansion of new autonomous regions in Sorong City, Sorong Regency and Southwest Papua Province, not many native Moi people filled important positions in government. “That is why we, the Moi Kelim Indigenous People in the Klaso Valley, firmly reject DOB and oil palm plantation projects,” she declared.
Pemuda Suku Moi Kelim Menolak DOB dan PSN
Perwakilan pemuda adat Suku Moi Kelim menyerahkan dokumen aspirasi kepada Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) di acara Penyaluran Aspirasi yang digelar oleh MRP Provinsi Papua Barat Daya di balai pertemuan Distrik Klaso, Kabupaten Sorong, Papua Barat Daya pada Selasa, 22 Juli 2025.
Dokumen tersebut berupa petisi penolakan rencana pemekaran Daerah Otonom Baru (DOB) Kabupaten Malamoi dan penolakan terhadap proyek strategis nasional (PSN) di Kabupaten Sorong. PSN berbasis perkebunan kelapa sawit diusulkan oleh PT Fajar Surya Persada Group tersebut rencananya akan berlokasi di tujuh wilayah distrik di Kabupaten Sorong yang meliputi Distrik Seget, Salawati, Beraur, Klamono, Sayosa, Segun, Buk, dan Klaso. Sedangkan luasnya mencapai 98.824 hektare.
Onesimus Paa, perwakilan pemuda adat Suku Moi Kelim dari Kampung Klalik, Distrik Klaso, mengungkapkan sejumlah alasan mereka menolak rencana usulan pemekaran DOB Kabupaten Malamoi dan PSN. Menurut dia, dua program tersebut dikhawatirkan akan menyebabkan masyarakat adat terusir dari tanah ulayat mereka. Selain itu, proyek tersebut juga mengancam kelestarian bentang alam Klaso milik masyarakat adat suku Moi kelim, yang tersisah di Kabupaten Sorong.
Ia menambahkan, rencana pemekaran DOB Kabupaten Malamoi dan perusahaan perkebunan kelapa sawit adalah suatu hal yang tidak terpisahkan. Alasannya, pemekaran DOB disinyalir sebagai pintu masuk industri ekstraktif perkebunan kelapa sawit atau lainnya menjalankan proyek perkebunan tersebut. Selain itu, lanjut dia, program tersebut dianggap tidak membawa dampak positifnya bagi masyarakat adat Suku Moi dan justru membuat masyarakat adat tersisih serta rusaknya lingkungan. Karena alasan tersebut, masyarakat adat Suku Moi mendesak Majelis Rakyat Papua Provinsi Papua Barat Daya untuk mendukung aspirasi masyarakat menolak rencana DOB dan PSN.
Nela Ulimpa, perwakilan perempuan adat Suku Moi Kelim, menambahkan bahwa hutan dan tanah adat milik suku Moi diwariskan oleh nenek moyang mereka kepada dijaga dan dimanfaatkan secara tradisional dan berkelanjutan untuk generasi mendatang. Sehingga masyarakat adat Suku Moi Kelim tidak mau tanah warisan leluhur mereka dirampas dan dirusak.
Selain itu, menurut dia, Suku Moi sudah memiliki pengalaman buruk di program pemekaran daerah. Di pelaksanaan pemekaran pusat pemerintahan daerah otonomi di Kota Sorong, Kabupaten Sorong dan Provinsi Papua Barat Daya, tidak banyak orang asli Suku Moi yang mengisi struktur penting pemerintahan. “Maka itu, kami masyarakat adat suku Moi Kelim di lembah Klaso menolak dengan tegas rencana DOB dan perkebunan sawit,” ujarnya.
