The Expansion of Nickel Mining, Environmental Damage and Determinants’ of the Bajo Community Marginalization in Pomalaa Regency, Southeast Sulawesi1 Irawati2 Abstraksi Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh tata kelola yang kurang tepat dalam pengelolaan sumber daya alam yang seharusnya melibatkan masyarakat dalam menjaga kelestarian lingkungan agar dapat terus sejahtera. Namun, ekspansi pertambangan nikel di Pomalaa, Kabupaten Kolaka telah mengakibatkan jurang yang besar antara si kaya dan si miskin. Hal tersebut juga mempengaruhi kelangsungan hidup masyarakat Bajo. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap determinan atau alasan mengapa masyarakat Bajo terpinggirkan, terutama akibat ekspansi

Abstraksi Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh tata kelola yang kurang tepat dalam pengelolaan sumber daya alam yang seharusnya melibatkan masyarakat dalam menjaga kelestarian lingkungan agar dapat terus sejahtera. Namun, ekspansi pertambangan nikel di Pomalaa, Kabupaten Kolaka telah mengakibatkan jurang yang besar antara si kaya dan si miskin. Hal tersebut juga mempengaruhi kelangsungan hidup masyarakat Bajo. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap determinan atau alasan mengapa masyarakat Bajo terpinggirkan, terutama akibat ekspansi pertambangan di Pomalaa, Kabupaten Kolaka. Metode penelitian dilakukan dengan paradigma post-positivism dengan menerapkan pendekatan grounded theory untuk analisisnya. Studi tersebut mengidentifikasi tiga faktor penentu utama marjinalisasi masyarakat Bajo. Pertama, air yang tercemar akibat pencemaran pantai. Kedua, tidak tersedia dukungan mata pencaharian alternatif karena terbatasnya akses untuk mendapatkan manfaat ekonomi dari perluasan pertambangan. Ketiga, lemahnya daya tawar masyarakat Bajo dalam menghadapi politik perusakan lingkungan akibat terbatasnya akses masuk ke dalam struktur pembuat kebijakan yang dilestarikan oleh norma budaya lokal.


B. Research Method and Theoretical Concept
This study is conducted by a post-positivism paradigm combined with a grounded research approach (Strauss and Corbin, 2003). Data for the study are collected from interviews, observation and other related or supporting documents (Lincoln and Guba, 1985: 20). Data analysis applied for this study is a qualitative method that seeks to find a central meaning that operates in the research findings.   Azhar's (2013) states that the marginalization of Unggaran citizens occured due to limited access for ownership of their land rights statuses due to ambilance and or overlapping governmental related policies on the land use. The study reveals the role of investment from the non-locals as the main cause of the problem of marginalization. It is because such investment of the land use has become a vital medium to boost locally tourism industry especially addressed for the domestic tourists with an expectation that will also increase entrepreunership skills for the locals.
The concept of marginalization has related aspects to the fields of sociology, economics and politics.
According to Aditya Anupkumar (2009: 3), marginalization is about the condition of particular society being helpless due to deviation of disfunctional socio-economic and political system for the society existence, and or experiencing social dysfunction. Therefore active communities are needed so that they are able to empower themselves optimally. According to Amitai Etzioni (in Poloma, 2010) active communities are people who control their social world, which is not controlled by outside forces or other active forces. A society is said to be active agents when the community is able to hold knowledge as a key to social transformation, both scientific and social knowledge.
In addition to the theory of active society, Gramscian hegemony theory is also applied for this research. This theory builds on the premise of the importance of ideas and the insufficient physical strength in social and political control. In order for those who are being controlled to obey the authorities, not only must they feel that they possess and internalize the values and norms of the authorities, but more than that they also have to give their subordinate approval. This is what Gramsci meant by  (Harvey 2005:2).
Thus, globalization, which is marked by advances in information technology, creates a free and broad world order without space barriers. Capitalism is experiencing an expansion of development which is ultimately global (Emanuel Wallerstein, 1990). Thus, the future of the world economy is in the grip of capitalism (Berger, 1990). Unfortunately, he only paid little attention to the internal contradictions and cruelty of the system. (Lippit, 2005). Habermas (1984) mentions that capitalism will cause ecological imbalances, anthropological imbalances (disruption of personal systems), and international imbalances. Therefore, Gwynne & Kay, (2004)

E. Conclusion
The findings of this research shows that liberal economy can be run without government intervention at large. The assumption of such laissez faire is believed to increase prosperity.
In fact, such assumption is untrue. What happens actually is the large profits from the natural resources exploitation become the largest portions of benefits for the corporation shared with the elites. On the other hand, marginalization of the local communities -especially those who considered unfit to meet the modes of natural exploitation like the Bajo community continues.
The easy prosedures of the nickel mining operation uphold by the enabling institutions has made capitalism continue to ensnare Indonesia, especially the customary communities who experience socio-economic and cultural insjustices. Lippit (2005) argues that in Indonesia, for example, companies that cannot afford to pay their debts can continue to operate with few obstacles for many years.