AGRARIAN CONFLICT IN INDONESIA HAS NEVER BEEN RESOLVED AND CONTINUES TO OCCUR

by UMMAT UMMAT
PRESS CONFERENCE

Bismillahirahmanirahim. (In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)

May Allah, the Almighty God, bestow His grace and grace on all of us.

Let me, representing the Ummat Party, begin this important meeting with the latest agrarian conflict story from the homeland. May this story stir up the humanity of all of us and further glue us as a nation.

Four days ago (Monday, October 4, 2021) two farmers stretched their lives on the border between Majalengka and Indramayu, precisely in Kerticala Village, Tukdana District, Indramayu Regency. They are the victims of the 19th agrarian conflict. They died because they fought over pg Jatitujuh sugarcane land. This land was once a forest area managed by Perhutani, and in accordance with the provisions of the legislation, PG Jatitujuh is obliged to provide replacement land. But this replacement land was never given until the end of the HGU period.

In addition to the case of Kerticala Indramayu, recently the furor has also occurred in Bojong Koneng village and Cijayanti, Bogor regency. Residents are fighting the Sentul City development company that expelled residents because they were considered to have seized land owned by Sentul City.

Kerticala’s case shows that agrarian conflict is already very dangerous, where people prefer shortcuts to acquire land despite the lives of the stakes. Sentul City’s case in addition to showing unfairness in land tenure, also asserts that the agrarian conflict revealed to the surface is the tip of the iceberg.

These are just two stories from the relentless barrage of agrarian conflict in the past five years. Data collected from the field shows that in the last five years there have been 2,288 agrarian conflicts resulting in 1,437 people being criminalized, 776 people experiencing persecution, 75 people being shot, and 66 people killed. They are victims of structural injustice, but the government still speaks and gives the impression that they are victims of horizontal conflict.  Whereas the Qur’an has reminded through Surat  Al-Maidah Verse 32 that:

َنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًاۢ بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ اَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى الْاَرْضِ فَكَاَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيْعًاۗ

… That whoever kills a person, not because that person killed another person, or not because he did harm on earth, it is as if he has killed all human beings.

Not only that, land tenure by a handful of oligarchic elites increasingly shows inequality that deepens the rich-poor gap whose people are victimized and experience structural injustice. As much as 68 percent of the land in all of Indonesia is currently controlled by one percent of entrepreneurs and large-scale corporate entities. Meanwhile, on the other hand, more than 16 million peasant households that depend on farming, each only control land under half an hectare.

Based on the data above, we, the Ummat Party, assess that President Jokowi has failed to manage the agrarian conflicts that have occurred over the past five years that have led to widespread inequality and injustice throughout the country. We conclude that the inequality and injustice of land tenure in Indonesia is already very severe. Conflicts rooted in almost even land grabs throughout Indonesia often have nothing to do with the interests of the people. Ironically, however, although this agrarian conflict has reached a very worrying stage where the integrity of the nation is at stake, there is no sign of a comprehensive settlement and touches on the root of the problem.

The government is still playing around with a partial settlement, shocked, and not infrequently involving the security forces who are illegal in a democracy. The way the government resolves agrarian conflicts so far is like treating advanced cancer by attaching coyo chili resealable strip to the diseased part of the body. To cover the already pale face of agrarian conflict gnawed by malignant cancer, they polished lipstick on the lips to hide the reality.

Even more ironic, during this pandemic, agrarian conflicts increased. This is because large companies are taking advantage of the pandemic to expand business in rural areas where conditions are not as severe as urban areas. Data from the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA) shows that specifically during this pandemic (2020) there was an increase in agrarian conflicts of 28 percent in the plantation sector and 100 percent in the forestry sector respectively compared to the previous year (2019).

As the nation’s political force, the Ummat Party feels obliged to warn the government not to play games or underestimate agrarian conflicts that have the potential to ignite social unrest. This unfairness problem is about land distribution, not about land certification. With all due respect, no longer consider certificate sharing as a solution.

On the basis of the above, the Ummat Party hereby submits three demands to the government, namely:

  1. In order for the government to quickly establish the Agrarian Reform Authority Agency, which is an order from Tap MPR Number IX/2001 concerning Agrarian Reform and Natural Resource Management (PA and PSDA).
  2. So that  the government immediately collects valid and integrated agrarian mastery data.
  3. In order for the government to quickly realize the “Single Agrarian Map” and the road map for resolving agrarian disputes.

Furthermore, as a form of contribution of participation and active role of the Ummat Party in efforts to resolve agrarian conflicts, God willing the Ummat Party will establish the Ummat Legal Aid Institute, which will:

  1. Give legal assistance to members of society who are victims of agrarian conflict or other structural conflicts.
  2. Provide assistance to community members to get certificates or certainty of law from the land that has been worked and controlled for a very long time.

Finally, the Ummat Party also invites all components of society to participate in supervising the implementation of the No Presidential Election.  86/2018 concerning the implementation of Agrarian Reform.

Thank you, so is the statement of the attitude of the Ummat Party regarding the issue of agrarian conflict in the country.

Free Agrarian, Free Indonesia!