More than 65 years of independence, the situation of agriculture in Indonesia is still far from justice. We witness and feel the imbalances in land ownerships. Consequently, the situation leads to the fact that the peasants continue to own a very small land, or even landless.
Projection from Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI), a peasant’s movement struggling for agrarian reform, said that there are currently 28.3 million households involve in farming business—and 15.6 million of them are very small-holder farmers, owning only 0.4 hectare of land.
The consequence has been dismal for their daily lives. Out of 32.53 million poor people in Indonesia, 19.9 million of them still live in rural area. Some of them are paddy producers, but as consumers they cannot afford to buy rice. These people are also amongst the most severely hit from food price crisis.
Meanwhile, there are about 9.17 million hectares of arable land ready to be redistributed all across Indonesia. The government said to launch a National Agrarian Reform Program (PPAN) soon. Until now, the implementation is still up in the air.
Meanwhile, expansion of export-commodities plantation is beyond imagination. Palm oil, rubber, cacao, you name it. Sad but true, only one-third of the total width is owned by the people. The rest of them are owned by the corporations or state-owned.
This sparks agrarian conflicts. But since forever, peasants are victims. Our rights are very vulnerable to get violated. We are being increasingly and violently expelled from our land and expropriated from the source of our livelihoods. Criminalization in agrarian conflicts is very often, and peasants also lack the access to justice.
This fact also made the people to act directly to reclaim their rights to land. Since 1960s, we have been trying to take back our land from British and Dutch plantation. Later on, this made the government issued the Basic Agrarian Law—one of the law that support the agrarian reform idea and make sure the land is for the tiller.
Until now, we are trying to uphold our constitution by reclaiming our rights to land. Since 1998, SPI and its members have been reclaiming hundred thousands of land all across Indonesia up until the year 2012. In this movement, we are ready to cooperate with the government to conduct the agrarian reform ‘by grace’. Nevertheless, we have been doing our own agrarian reform ‘by leverage’, and we are going to continue doing that.
In the commemoration of National Farmers’ Day this year, we call the government to immediately redistribute the 9.17 million lands for the poor. Implement the National Agrarian Reform Program right away! The peasants and the poor cannot wait anymore. We need jobs. We need to eat. We need to make a living!
20,000 of peasants’ members of Serikat Petani Indonesia will march to demand our rights on September 24, 2010 all across Indonesia. This is to demonstrate our determination for these matters of life-and-death.
We are calling for your solidarity in this struggle, sisters and brothers. You are welcome to sign up here, or send your solidarity to us:
http://www.petitiononline.com/vivaspi/petition.html
Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI)
Tel. +62 21 7991890 Fax. +62 21 7993426
http://www.spi.or.id
Email: spi spi.or.id; info spi.or.id
Mobile. +6281932099596
SOLIDARITY LETTER
To: Peasants member of SPI
Despite the geographical distance and the difference between our language and culture, we are aware of the difficult situation that your people have been living since a very long time.
Of more than 32.53 million poor people in Indonesia, 19.9 million of them still live in rural area. Most of them are peasants and work as food producers, but as consumers they often cannot reach the food in the market.
In most part of the world, the situation happens all the time because peasants in rural area lack access to their rights over land. In Indonesia where 39.88 per cent of the workforce are still involved in agriculture, having a small plot of land – or even landless – is still the general picture. We witness how these people have been left behind from the development process since decades ago in the so-called agrarian country.
We are deeply disturbed by the fact that the average ownership of land in Indonesia is only 0.4 hectare per household. Meanwhile, many peasants’ human rights violations have been occurring: The increasing and violent expulsion from the land and alienation from sources of livelihoods.
At the same time, expansion of export-commodities plantation is beyond imagination. The consequences of this expansion have been deteriorating for the people and the planet.
We share a similar pain with you because in our country we also suffer the marginalization, and also the massive destruction of our motherland. We also send our solidarity and highlight the role of peasants in producing food for the people. The cooperation between people has to be developed, in order to uphold our food sovereignty.
Here from our field of work, from urban and also rural area, we express our support for a genuine agrarian reform in Indonesia. We also would like to send our solidarity for you who are in the path of protecting your peasants’ human rights, and for the Indonesian government to start an integral process to settle the agrarian conflict in your country immediately.
We pray that the peasants’ member of SPI will never lose their hope, and keep the struggle until the end, until you win!
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
http://www.petitiononline.com/vivaspi/petition.html