Politik Agraria Penolakan Masyarakat Sidamanik Terhadap Konversi Lahan Kebun Teh Menjadi Kebun Kelapa Sawit Oleh PTPN IV di Kecamatan Sidamanik, Kabupaten Simalungun

Abstract

The conversion of tea plantations into oil palm plantations by PTPN IV in Sidamanik District, Simalungun Regency, reflects a complex dynamic of agrarian politics at the local level. This phenomenon is not merely related to economic efficiency and corporate interests, but also to social justice and the management of agrarian resources. This study aims to explain the efforts of the local government and PTPN IV in responding to community resistance against the conversion of tea plantations, as well as to analyze the social, economic, and environmental impacts arising from it. The study employs the Agrarian Politics Theory with a qualitative descriptive approach, using in-depth interviews, field observations, and documentation studies involving the local government, local communities, and PTPN IV representatives. The results of the study show that the efforts of the local government in responding to community rejection are limited and have not been in favor of the interests of the community. Measures such as holding dialogue and mediation, emphasizing cross-party coordination, and issuing sanctions are considered to be only administrative and do not result in concrete decisions. Meanwhile, PTPN IV takes a persuasive and socialization approach, public clarification, relying on HGU and building an economic narrative that actually causes distrust because it is considered unilateral and manipulative. In terms of agrarian politics, this land conversion has a social impact in the form of increasing conflicts and a decrease in trust in the government; economic impacts in the form of loss of people's livelihoods and threatened tea tourism potential; and environmental impacts in the form of increased risks of floods, landslides, and land degradation.