At least 25 farmers were shot and three killed last year in Indonesia as
a result of land disputes and agrarian conflicts that continued to
contribute to a number of arrests, injuries and fatalities in the
country, according to a land reform group.
Although 2011 was a more deadly year for agrarian conflicts, with 22 deaths linked to land disputes, the total number of conflicts rose in 2012, from 163 to 198, the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) said.
“The year 2012 was a year when agrarian justice was buried,” said KPA deputy chairman Iwan Nurdin.
Iwan highlighted cases over the last two years in South Sumatra and Lampung, where bloody conflicts persist between farmers and large palm oil plantations. Tensions first erupted in 2011, but a lack of government commitment to addressing the problem’s root causes prompted the conflict to resurface again last year, Iwan said.
In July, police, who many believe were siding with plantation owners, opened fire on a group of protesting farmers in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, who accused private plantation companies of encroaching on their lands.
A child was fatally shot by police during the protest.
The KPA also noted that 156 farmers have been arbitrarily arrested for protesting against land encroachment by big businesses, while none of the land dispute cases were ever investigated.
Agrarian conflicts have also caused 55 farmers to sustain injuries from heavy-handed policing and torture.
Iwan said the government must change its paradigm and identify the root causes of the problem. Authorities, he said, currently saw land conflicts as no more than criminal matters.
The KPA said 45 percent of land disputes in Indonesia last year involved the farming sector, while 30 percent were linked to infrastructure construction projects.
Eleven percent of the conflicts were related to mining while forestry and fish farms contributed to 4 percent and 3 percent of the disputes, respectively.
East Java was home to the largest number of land conflicts, with 24 cases recorded last year. North Sumatra came in second with 21 cases while Jakarta, West Java and South Sumatra tied for third place with 13 cases each.
“President SBY [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] is a president who promised agrarian reform in his campaign advertisements,” Iwan said. “The fact is, as we all know, the government has not fulfilled its promises as mandated by the Constitution and Agrarian Law.”
Iwan also criticized the appointment of former Attorney General Hendarman Supandji as head of the National Land Agency (BPN) last year.
The appointment of Hendarman, whose term as attorney general was rife with controversies and criticisms, paved the way for further distrust among farmers and land owners that the government would put an end to land encroachment, Iwan claimed.
“Permits and concessions are so easily given because their issuance is rife with corruption, which in turn paves the way for conflicts,” he said.
Iwan highlighted the corruption case of business tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya, who allegedly paid Buol district head Amran Batalipu Rp 3 billion ($312,000) in bribes for the right to establish a 4,500-hectare palm oil plantation in Central Sulawesi.
That case, Iwan said, was just the tip of the iceberg.
Jakarta Globe: 2 Januari 2013 writer: Farouk Arnaz
Although 2011 was a more deadly year for agrarian conflicts, with 22 deaths linked to land disputes, the total number of conflicts rose in 2012, from 163 to 198, the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) said.
“The year 2012 was a year when agrarian justice was buried,” said KPA deputy chairman Iwan Nurdin.
Iwan highlighted cases over the last two years in South Sumatra and Lampung, where bloody conflicts persist between farmers and large palm oil plantations. Tensions first erupted in 2011, but a lack of government commitment to addressing the problem’s root causes prompted the conflict to resurface again last year, Iwan said.
In July, police, who many believe were siding with plantation owners, opened fire on a group of protesting farmers in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, who accused private plantation companies of encroaching on their lands.
A child was fatally shot by police during the protest.
The KPA also noted that 156 farmers have been arbitrarily arrested for protesting against land encroachment by big businesses, while none of the land dispute cases were ever investigated.
Agrarian conflicts have also caused 55 farmers to sustain injuries from heavy-handed policing and torture.
Iwan said the government must change its paradigm and identify the root causes of the problem. Authorities, he said, currently saw land conflicts as no more than criminal matters.
The KPA said 45 percent of land disputes in Indonesia last year involved the farming sector, while 30 percent were linked to infrastructure construction projects.
Eleven percent of the conflicts were related to mining while forestry and fish farms contributed to 4 percent and 3 percent of the disputes, respectively.
East Java was home to the largest number of land conflicts, with 24 cases recorded last year. North Sumatra came in second with 21 cases while Jakarta, West Java and South Sumatra tied for third place with 13 cases each.
“President SBY [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] is a president who promised agrarian reform in his campaign advertisements,” Iwan said. “The fact is, as we all know, the government has not fulfilled its promises as mandated by the Constitution and Agrarian Law.”
Iwan also criticized the appointment of former Attorney General Hendarman Supandji as head of the National Land Agency (BPN) last year.
The appointment of Hendarman, whose term as attorney general was rife with controversies and criticisms, paved the way for further distrust among farmers and land owners that the government would put an end to land encroachment, Iwan claimed.
“Permits and concessions are so easily given because their issuance is rife with corruption, which in turn paves the way for conflicts,” he said.
Iwan highlighted the corruption case of business tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya, who allegedly paid Buol district head Amran Batalipu Rp 3 billion ($312,000) in bribes for the right to establish a 4,500-hectare palm oil plantation in Central Sulawesi.
That case, Iwan said, was just the tip of the iceberg.
Jakarta Globe: 2 Januari 2013 writer: Farouk Arnaz
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