IN
THE
WIND
P52
Indonesian Grand Prix Circuit
Under UN Fire
T
he Mandalika Street Circuit
that is set to host the 2022
Indonesian MotoGP has come
under heavy criticism from the
United Nations for human rights
violations.
The track is part of a $3 billion
tourism project, headed by the
Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank (AIIB) on the island of Lom-
bok, which includes hotels and a
golf course. However, a state-
ment led by the UN's Special
Rapporteur on extreme poverty
and human rights, Olivier De
Schutter, has noted the destruc-
tion of houses, farming fields,
as well as cultural and religious
sites and population expulsions
relating to the circuit's construc-
tion.
"The Mandalika project puts
Indonesia's laudable commit-
ments to the Sustainable Devel-
opment Goals and its underlying
human rights obligations to the
test," Schutter said. "Large-
scale tourism development that
tramples on human rights is
fundamentally incompatible with
the concept of sustainable devel-
opment. The time has passed for
racing circuits and massive trans-
national tourism infrastructure
projects that benefit a handful of
economic actors rather than the
population as a whole.
"Post-Covid economies
should focus on empowering
local communities, enhancing
their livelihoods and participa-
tion in decision-making. We urge
the Indonesian Government to
ensure that the ITDC respects
human rights and the rule of law,
as well as the AIIB and private
businesses not to finance or
engage in projects and activities
that contribute to human rights
violations and abuses."
CN
