THE land that villager Senum once called home has been swallowed by Indonesia’s MotoGP circuit as part of a mega tourism project accused of forced evictions and rights abuses.
Indonesia will welcome newly-crowned MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to Lombok island this weekend for the first race since he matched Valentino Rossi’s seven titles with victory in Japan.
Outside the Mandalika circuit, there is little to celebrate for dozens of Indigenous Sasak families who say they face land evictions and compensation battles linked to the venue’s development.
“They forced us to leave just like dogs and chickens. They are like a thief,“ said Senum, who has had to move twice since authorities arrived with heavy machinery in 2018.
He says he was promised 10 million rupiah for land that became part of the MotoGP track, far below market price, but ultimately received only three million.
The world’s premier motorcycle race returned to Indonesia in 2022 after a 25-year hiatus at a 4.31-kilometre track in Lombok’s beach-lined Kuta resort town.
The government hopes the project will diversify tourism away from popular island Bali, but it has stoked a years-long struggle between authorities and locals.
Most of the 124 families in the area have been forced out or moved elsewhere with just 44 remaining to fight for compensation.
Sibawahi says the project consumed the land he used for coconut trees and livestock after authorities demanded he leave in 2020.
He lost nearly four hectares after police and soldiers seized it in 2021 and is still awaiting compensation for his loss.
“I can’t accept it. My feelings are indescribable. It’s too sad for oppressed people like us,“ he said.
Impoverished Lombok has struggled to rebuild after a deadly 2018 earthquake while former president Joko Widodo hailed the project for employing 3,000 locals.
Other residents have protested around the track and outside the governor’s office, demanding the return of their land or adequate compensation.
Fresh evictions in July left more than 2,000 people without their primary source of income according to UN experts.
The experts expressed alarm at alleged intimidation and use of force in an August report, warning that communities are now living in fear.
The state-owned Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation and local Lombok authorities did not respond to requests for comment about the allegations.
Some residents say they cannot even benefit from the track as they are prevented from selling to visitors and stopped from leaving their new homes on race weekend.
“We’re like a cow tied up in a cage,“ said Senum about the restrictions they face.
Housewife Suman was paid 15 million rupiah to leave her rented home near what is now a bend of the MotoGP track and said she is happy to have moved away.
Others like Senum continue holding out for better compensation for their lost land and livelihoods.
“Pay us properly and give us our dignity,“ he said as an excavator scraped away at his former land. – AFP