Jakarta – Beyond the fuss over the inclusion of the word kapitil in the latest edition of the official Indonesian language dictionary Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) – a colloquial opposite of kapital, meaning uppercase – there is a more serious issue in our language politics.

The Language Agency has changed the definition of sawit (oil palm) from a tumbuhan (plant) to a pohon (tree). As well as being mistaken and in violation of various regulations, referring to an oil palm as a tree has vast and significant consequences.

In the October 2025 version of the KBBI, the word kapitil is categorized as cak, or cakapan (conversational/colloquial). This means that it is not formal. There are many words from regional or foreign languages also categorized as colloquial because they are in widespread use, but do not follow the rules for the formation of words and are therefore not recognized as formal words in the Indonesian language.

However, defining oil palm as "a tree resembling that of the coconut" is more serious than simply a category of word. In the second and third editions of the KBBI 10 years ago, the oil palm was still defined as "a plant with bunches of dark red flowers containing oil." This definition referred to the species with the Latin name Elaeis guineensis.

Oil palm is a monocot plant. It does not contain cambium, the cell layer that produces wood. Consequently, the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom classifies oil palm simply as a large-stemmed herb. This scientific literature serves as the benchmark for defining trees, wood, and forests in many regulations. The Job Creation Law, for example, defines a tree as a plant with a woody stem.

Therefore, labeling oil palm a tree is both a scientific fallacy and a legal violation. It even contradicts the KBBI's own definition of a "tree," which it describes as a "perennial woody plant that stands upright and tall."

Redefining oil palm as a tree will change the way it is treated. The conversion of forests into oil palm plantations would no longer be labeled deforestation. Oil palm would immediately become a forestry commodity, no longer subject to the Agriculture Ministry regulations. Defining oil palm as a tree has many constitutional and administrative implications.

In 2018, the Faculty of Forestry and Environment at IPB University, sponsored by the Oil Palm Farmers Association, drafted an academic paper categorizing oil palm as a forestry plant. The Forestry Ministry rejected it, arguing that oil palm cannot function as a forest rehabilitation plant. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also stood firm in categorizing oil palm as a monoculture agricultural commodity.

Another impact of the definition of the oil palm as a tree is policies that endanger the environment. In the National Development Planning Conference at the end of 2024, President Prabowo Subianto fervently declared, "There's no need to be afraid of deforestation because oil palms are trees." Therefore, he wants to convert Papua's forests into oil palm plantations to fulfill the demand for biodiesel production.

Prabowo's statement aligns with his recent comments regarding the devastating floods and landslides in three Sumatran provinces at the end of last year. Cyclone Senyar, fueled by climate change, triggered extreme rainfall that Sumatra's landscape – now less than 30 percent forested – could no longer absorb. For decades, Sumatra's forests have been converted into settlements, oil palm plantations, and mines.

While kapitil is simply the adoption of a colloquialism (conversational expression) in the KBBI, the redefinition of oil palm into a tree is a linguistic politics that is often used by those in destructive power.

– Read the complete story in Tempo English Magazine

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2082328/when-oil-palms-become-tree