Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Peoples' Movement Alliance Against Land Seizure (Geram Tanah) stated that it will hold a rally on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
The action is to commemorate 20204 National Farmers' Day and the 64th anniversary of the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law. The masses, consisting of 80 farmer organizations, labor unions, students, and civil society, will hold an action with the theme 'Save the Constitution, Uphold Democracy, and Implement Genuine Agrarian Reform.'
The alliance representative and General Secretary of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), Dewi Kartika, stated that the rally will be held for two days on September 23 and 24, 2024 in Jakarta. The peak action on September 24, 2024, will be held simultaneously in various regions, including Medan, Jambi, Palembang, Bandar Lampung, Semarang, Makassar, Palu, Manado, and Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara or NTT. 'We hold this simultaneously to voice and remind the government to carry out genuine agrarian reform agendas,' said Dewi in a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday, September 22, 2024.
In Jakarta, the Alliance will hold a two-day commemorative action, namely a commemorative action at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building on September 23. The aim of this action is to remind of the government's crimes suspected of engaging in corrupt practices. The action also demands that the state institution investigate corruption cases in the agrarian sector and land mafia, which have been one of the causes of high agrarian conflicts due to evictions and land seizures. 'This action will be joined by 1,000 activists from the KPA and the Pasundan Farmers Union (SPP),' said Dewi.
Furthermore, on September 24, the action will be held at the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) and the People's Representative Council (DPR) building. The action will be joined by farmer masses together with elements of the people's movement. Their demand states that in the last decade, the government has failed to implement genuine agrarian reform.
According to Dewi, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has diverted Agrarian Reform (RA) into a mere land certification without land redistribution. Land certification in the name of Agrarian Reform is evidence that the Jokowi administration is further liberalizing the Indonesian land market, placing the political sovereignty of Indonesian agrarian under the feet of investors and landowners.
Even in KPA's findings and analyses during 2015-2023, Dewi assessed that President Jokowi and the Minister of ATR/BPN were only able to manage abandoned land and ex-Right to Cultivate (HGU) and Right to Building (HGB) lands covering an area of 77 thousand hectares out of 7.24 million hectares.
Amidst this stagnation, President Jokowi and his ranks are increasingly pushing for agrarian liberalization and development agendas such as the acceleration of National Strategic Projects (PSN), food estates, the development of the National Capital Region (IKN), Land Bank, pardons for forest-clearing companies, politicization of mining for Mass Organizations, and food imports. 'This situation has led to a decade-long increase in agrarian conflicts and land monopolies,' said Dewi.
Dewi refutes claims that the commemoration of National Farmers' Day 2024 this year was politically motivated. According to her, certain parties deliberately and systematically build a continuous opinion that the 2024 National Farmers' Day is exploited without consulting the farmers, including the KPA, which holds street actions every year. 'This is a systematic insult to farmers and agrarian reform movements,' said Dewi.
Dewi emphasizes that the circulating issues are not true. Because for farmers, the commemoration of National Farmers' Day 2024, which is commemorated every September 24, is a noble and sacred day for farmers' struggle in Indonesia.
'This is a moment for farmers and agrarian reform movements to remind the government of the nation's political agenda that has yet to be implemented, namely the agenda of agrarian reform,' said Dewi.
Around 6,000 farmer activists and a combination of people's elements from Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Banten, and Bali claim that they will participate in the peak of the 2024 National Farmers' Day commemoration. The farmer activist masses consist of SPP, Indramayu Farmers' Union (STI), Majalengka Farmers' Union (SPM), Cianjur Farmer Collective (PPC), Punclut Farmers' Union, Suryakencana Sukabumi Farmers' Union (PPSS), AMANAT Bogor Farmers, Banten Farmers Movement (P2B), Jember Sekti, and Buleleng Bali Farmers' Union.
Tempo has tried to contact Deputy II at the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Abetnego Tarigan, for comments on this matter. However, he has not responded to Tempo's messages as of the writing of this article.