Pari Island, located at the edge of Jakarta within the Thousand Islands, stands as a gem among the hundreds scattered across the capital’s northern waters. Pari Island has long been celebrated for its stunning natural attractions, beaches lined with soft white sand, mangroves swaying gracefully with the tide, and a mesmerizing sea as alluring as a model in a commercial.
But behind its beauty and marine richness lies a deep sorrow: the grip of capital interests, the void of oversight waiting to be exploited, and a bureaucracy that too often serves investors rather than protecting marine ecosystems.
Today, this island is on the brink of destruction due to the greed of bureaucratic capitalists hiding behind the slogan of “sustainable development.” Behind promises of investment development and promotion of marine tourism, oligarchs are attempting to enter by systematically and uncompromisingly privatizing marine space. They are reclaiming land, mercilessly dredging sand, building resorts without transparency, and destroying the marine ecosystem. Garbage is scattered everywhere, mangroves planted by residents have been completely cut down, seagrass beds have been destroyed by reclamation, and fishermen have lost their livelihoods as their fishing grounds are systematically reduced..
Meanwhile, the government, which should be there for the people, has turned a blind eye to this issue. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, which should be the bastion of marine protection, has instead rolled out the red carpet for businesspeople by continuing to grant business permits, as if the slogan for the people is nothing more than a formality.
This issue arose when oligarchs disguised as big businessmen named PT Bumi Pari Asri and PT Bumi Griya Nusa, which are under the PT Bumi Raya Utama Group, seized land from residents on Pari Island for the development of a so-called eco-tourism project. Pari Island is a small island that should not be reclaimed for the benefit of one party. Pari Island is a portrait of how bureaucratic capitalism works with violence, but with permits, signatures, and false promises of development. On paper, this tourism project looks good for the welfare of the residents, but in reality, what has grown is inequality and ecosystem destruction.
The conflict, which has been ongoing for 10 years, has yet to find a resolution. In this case, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has authority over the waters around the Pari Islands. They must be held accountable for permits for the use of marine space, coastal management, and the protection of this small island region. It is now time for the government to revoke permits that exploit the sea, halt projects that damage the coastal ecosystem, involve residents in climate justice-based policy processes, and support solutions developed by the residents themselves.
If the state continues to turn a blind eye, then what will be lost is not just an island but the entire ecological and cultural heritage that has long been part of Indonesia’s maritime identity. Pari Island does not need investors who come with markers just to draw new maps on its waters; it only needs justice, recognition, and space to breathe again.
