Indonesia, with its 6 000 inhabited islands and 235 million inhabitants, is an immense country still young. Controlled by the Dutch colonialists until its independence in 1945, the country fell into the military dictatorship of Suharto in 1966.
Under this regime, the economic choices were geared towards development of industry and agro business, to the sole benefit of the President’ inner cycle.
A devastating economic strategy for the population, with limitations shown by the currency and financial crisis that hit the country in 1997, leading to Suharto’s fall. But this political switch did not bring any significant change in the economic structures .
From 1998, successive presidents, have engaged the country in financial austerity programs, supported by international bodies like the World Bank. The Indonesian population’s situation, already fragile, has only worsened. The unemployment rate, precarious job conditions, poverty and malnutrition have increased.
Rural populations, accounting for still nearly 55% of the population, were the first to be touched. This situation created an electric shock, and the population was able to take advantage of this new democratic climate to voice their grievances.
A healthy political awakening in which KPA [1] wanted to assist, and that Frères des Hommes wished to support. KPA includes more than 200 local organizations and national NGOs in Indonesia, with over one million members.
KPA defends the establishment of agrarian reform in Indonesia.
Frères des Hommes supports the Indonesian peasants
Indonesia.
_In 2004, key period in history for Indonesia which was instating democracy, Frères des Hommes decided to assist KPA in their activities. For Frères des Hommes, it was important to first support emerging farmers organizations so that they could defend themselves. Secondly to regenerate land reform, while allowing KPA to develop its expertise and be able to offer alternative laws and legislation. Lastly to demand the implementation of agrarian reform, to bring peasant agriculture back to the heart of the economy, especially since services and industry are not able to offer jobs to the high number of unemployed. Thus, from the small peasant rice farmer on the islands of Sulawesi to the highest political levels in Jakarta, KPA has chosen to position itself at all levels so that farmers can unite and influence national political debate, thus reaching their aim to live of their land with dignity.
KPA, concrete actions for the agrarian fight
KPA has received support from Frères des Hommes co- financed by the European Union from 2004 to 2005.
The action undertaken has led to two results: the strengthening of peasant organizations, to have the means to defend themselves, and the popularization of the agrarian reform concept among the population, along with a greater understanding of the issue by national institutions.
Giving farmers the means to defend themselves
KPA first of all acted to strengthen emerging peasant organizations whose weight is crucial in a decentralized Indonesia. The peasant leaders have participated in training on issues of agrarian reform and the existing legislation. These courses were held over several months, in Banyumas, Pasuruan and Bogor on the ile of Java, and also on the islands of Nusa Tenggara and Sumatra. As well, KPA has continued sharing information on agrarian reform with its members and has created a series of leaflets in Bahasa, the official language of Indonesia, making issues related to land reform accessible to all. Today, the best consolidated peasants organizations are no longer confined to the social field but integrate as well the political field. Latest evidence seen: In the last municipal elections, candidates represented the interests of workers and poor peasants, lacking land and rights.
Concrete results
We are in the district of Batang on the island of Java, in September 2007, and six of these candidates have just been elected at the head of their village. A victory for the villagers , the local peasant organization , FPPB (forum of local associations) and for KPA which, at the other end of the chain, rejoices to see its members now able to take position on the local political scene.
KPA has been present with peasants organizations throughout the election process: logistical support and organization of meetings to allow candidates to benefit of lessons learned from similar experiences led elsewhere in the country. The KPA consortium receives in return a greater political weight when the base is thus consolidated.
At the highest political level, the first battle was won
Nationally, KPA engaged in lobbying and pleading actions to defend agrarian reform within the institutional framework.
This is the second part of the program supported by Frères des Hommes. It is a crucial challenge, what with the question of land reform being systematically shovelled aside during military dictatorship. Major progress to KPA’s credit: Today, in Indonesia it is no longer improper to talk about reform.
So much so that the candidate who won the presidential elections of 2004, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, used it as a major point of his campaign. Once elected President, he appointed as head of the National Land Agency (4) Joyo Winoto, favorable to agrarian reform. A «plus» for KPA, which enabled to create a collaboration with the National Land Agency.
Effective mobilization
KPA stays in contact with the National Land Agency, but also with the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, Internal Affairs, as well as Parliament, universities and NGOs. This work requires patience and perseverance, with a constant need to explain, justify, prove. But it has beared it’s fruit in the first semester of 2007 when KPA won a large victory.
Indeed, the parliamentary committee in charge of agrarian issues decided, jointly with the National Land Agency, to annul the current amendment of the Basic Agrarian Law. According to KPA this amendment was directly opposed to the moral fibre of the Constitution and the Basic Agrarian Law (see box At the heart of Agrarian Reform), integrating to land management market logic incompatible with the establishment of agrarian reform. This annulment has allowed to eliminate a major threat and recognizes of the continued engagement of KPA.
Other success largely due to the mobilization of KPA and its members: the proclamation in 2007 by the President of Indonesia of a vast program of redistribution of nearly 10 million hectares of land to poor peasants and landless. The National Land Agency, charged with establishing the National Program of Agrarian Reform (PPAN), designated KPA a privileged partner to accompany the instauration of the program.
SEPTEMBER 2007, WAHYUDI IS THE CANDIDATE IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS OF KETELENG VILLAGE
Wahyudi.jpg
© FDH
Wahyudi is 32 years old. He lives in Keteleng with his wife and two daughters, and shares his modest home with his brother’s family and his parents. He is president of the Peasant Organization of the province of Central Java.
"We have waited 7 year for these elections. We have prepared them together, with the other candidates, driven by the desire to fight for land. Here in my village, Keteleng, many people, such as my wife, work as day labourers in tea plantations. But unemployment remains high and most of our young people leave us to find work in the city. I myself worked many years in the city.
Running in these elections was not easy. The biggest obstacle was financial, because the practice of vote buying is systematic. But we made the choice of transparent elections and anyway, we could not afford to buy our votes!
We had to convince people to refuse money and we had to tolerate tacitly intimidations. Of course, it did not work everywhere [ 2]. But here ,in Keteleng ,it is a victory for all. Now that we have won, we have much hope for the future.
The priority is to prevent the renewal of rights for the planting company Pagilaran to cultivate the land . Because if it gets it, it will be this time for 95 years [3].
We rely heavily on KPA to help us reclaim the right to use land around our village. It is they who had already warned us that the company had applied for a renewal, while the National Land Agency [4] refused our requests for information.
The second priority will be to ensure the law is enforced, for free access for all to elementary school and health services for the poor. "
Interview at Keteleng September 10th 2007 by Maia Levasseur, with Iwan Nurdin help for the translation from Bahasa into English . For more information, see No. 18 of Resonances on the website of Frères des Hommes
[1] KPA, Konsortium Pembaruan Agraria (Consortium for Agrarian Reform) [2] Nine candidates were supported by the FPPB, member of KPA. Six were elected. [3] Under the new investment law passed in early 2007, the duration of exploitation rights on land can now extend to 95 years, against 35 years previously. [4] The National Land Agency is an crossministerial-agency which takes on issues related to land management and administration.
| AT THE HEART OF AGRARIAN REFORM
"The soil, the sea and the underground riches are controlled by the state for the greatest prosperity of the people." Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution is the main KPA argument to back up a fair distribution of land. The second legal object used is the basic land law of 1960, which advocates the establishment of agrarian reform. It is still applicable, but has been waiting over 40 years to implement it’s decrees. KPA seeks the implementation of agrarian reform in order to achieve equity within the rural regions, and between rural and urban areas. Agrarian reform is a global transformation of production levels in rural areas, by eliminating of the massive control of natural resources in the hands of a minority. Conceived as an equitable path towards rural development, it is thus much more than just access to land, this is only the first step. Land reform in its entirety includes access to resources, to means of production and the market. |
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