The Prologue

Indonesia is the biggest archipelagos multination country. There are more than 13.667 islands and among of those islands, there are five big islands, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes, and Papua in the line of equator that gave a tropical climate between two oceans""Indian and Pacific ocean""and two continents""Asia and Australia. The total area of Indonesia is 1,919,440-kilometer squares, and 48 percent of total area is consisted by water.

This geo-politic position makes Indonesia has an important role in connecting every international interest, from east to west and from north to south. The volcanic mountains and the seas that laid in Indonesia, makes Indonesia known as a country with richness of land and lot of natural resources treasure. The huge rain tropical forest of Indonesia makes Indonesia as a lung of the earth with the most comprehensive biodiversities among the world. Therefore, the domination over Indonesia becomes much significance in ruling the world.

We can widely see that among Indonesian island, there has been an uneven situation between Java and other islands in Indonesia. Historically, the Javanese hold the domination on the politic, economic, military, and cultural. Amongst 238,452,952 peoples who lived in Indonesia, 45% of population is from the Javanese nationality.

Almost 108 million people are potential productive forces. From the official labor force survey, almost 43-70 percent among them works in agriculture sectors and at least 11-20 percent are working in manufactures and industries, and beyond of them are working in other sectors or in the informal sector.

However, the richness of lands, the treasures of natural resources, and huge land tropical forest of Indonesia, almost give nothing to Indonesian people. In addition, the political independence that proclaimed by bloody people's war of Indonesian in August 1945, were taken back by imperialism.

Round-Table Conference of Den Haag caused it in 1949 between Indonesian governments led by Hatta-Sjahrir clique with the Dutch imperialism. This conference brought back the politic economical domination of the Dutch asset in Indonesia.

That is why, even politically, Indonesia had proclaimed the independence on August 1945, but actually, imperialism, especially US imperialism, still becomes the major and dominant factor in Indonesian society. This domination accomplished when US imperialism with the helps of rightist clique among armies general headed by Soeharto, succeed in overthrowing the power of Soekarno in 1966.

Imperialism had its material precondition of dominating Indonesia by throwing out Soekarno from Indonesian political arena in 1966. By this tragic moment, US imperialism took a big step to re-colonize Indonesia by a political aggression, military control, and economical occupation before making a cultural domination.

Soon after overthrowing Soekarno through a bloody coup d' etat, the fascist and rightist former army General Soeharto establishes the New Order Regimes as the puppets of US imperialism, headed by established the domination of imperialism in every field, economically, politically, culture, and military field. For almost 32 years, Indonesian people forced to serve imperialism in many ways.

However, I assumed that we are here together are like to know much about Indonesian society and the peasants struggle against imperialism rather than knowing how Soeharto achieved the power and established its regimes. There are many literature that had published which telling us about how Soeharto overthrow Soekarno in 1965. It is a darkness moment in Indonesian history, when the Indonesian army cruelly slaughtered million people""majority from working class and peasantry""as the gift to the US imperialism.

Agrarian Crises, Some Notes

Ever since Soeharto took over the power and built the New Order regime until the present political situations, the Indonesian government always betrayed the mandates of the Agrarian Act 1960. Especially during the New Order Regime, imperialism tried to promote sectorals land market oriented policies and interrupted the supreme will of Indonesian peasantry, which a part of it carried by the Agrarian Act 1960.

For almost three decades, Indonesian peasantry had forced to follow " …“the green revolution"  programs which been promoted as the anti-theses of the land-reform program. The program were claimed had succeed in increasing the food productivity in the mid of 1980. As the acknowledgement of these succeeds, FAO rewarded Soeharto in 1984.

Nevertheless, the " …“succeed"  of green revolution programs, did not solved any contradiction in the countrysides. Poverties in the peasant's and countryside community are growing ever bigger every year. The peasants had no choice, but to sell their agricultural product in the market which dominated by the big business through the bogus productive cooperation (e.g. KUD).

Otherwise, the peasants ordered the chemicals fertilizer and other means of production that decreased the environmental ecologies and created an addicted land to the chemical means.

Food overproduction policies (the new order regimes called it by " …“Swasembada Pangan" ) that been proclaimed as the main purpose of the green revolution had imposed the price of agriculture commodities. Liberalization of the domestic market of agriculture commodities brought lot of disaster for the peasants.

Intervention of the new technologies during the green revolution programs did not much helping the peasant's life. Instead, the unemployment rate in the countrysides is growing high.

Still in the periods of the new order regimes, the cases of land grabbing by state machineries, state corporations, or private corporations, were increased. The Consortium of Agrarian Reform reported, during 1971 until 2001, more than 1.753 cases, with 10,892,203 hectares of dispute areas, and caused 1,189,482 peasants households. The cases had involved government machineries, military institutions, and civilian bureaucracy.

Another feature of agrarian crises in Indonesia is the growing rate of poor-and landless peasants in the countrysides. According to the agriculture census in 2003, in Java 74.9 percent of peasant household are poor peasants household which only working on less than 0.4 hectare. It has increased since 69.8 percent in the years 1993. On the other islands, the census showed that 33.9 percent (937.000) peasant families are poor peasant families. It has been increasing since 1993 that only 30.6 percent are categorize as poor peasant's families. At the averages, now more than 56.52% of the peasant's household of entire country is poor.

Other impact of agrarian crises that already happened in Indonesia is hunger and food shortage in the countrysides. Just in the mid of March 2005, a national paper, Kompas, reported that almost 10 districts in the Eastern Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT) attacked food shortage and hunger. The worst happened in 32 villages of District Lembata. The same cases but caused by different factors also happened in Aceh and Nias eventually just after tsunamis attack.

There are many things happened, as the effect of agrarian crises in the Indonesian countrysides today. Nevertheless, I assume we already need to look directly to the causes of the crises. In my term, there at least three causes which brought the agrarian crises in Indonesia.

First , the domination of big land-owners in concentrating of ownerships on land, other agrarian resources, and the lackness access of the poor peasants to get a piece of land to till for their lives. The ownership of the land consisted feudal type land owners and big plantation rented by government of private (domestic and foreign big plantation)

The first type usually came from noble families of old feudal states. They got the status because some beneficiaries relations with their ancestry. The second is the institutions that applied the semi-feudal relations, especially in relation with lands and other agrarian resources.

The big plantation is become the most dangerous and reactionaries land owners because always directly connected with and defending the interest of the imperialism. To serve and secure the interest of imperialism, they are willing to do anything. Even it make them fought the people. Such institutions to be mentioned are Perum Perhutani, Plantation State Corporatation (PTPN), some multinational mining corporation like Freeport, newmont, Kaltim Prima Coalt, Exxonmobile Oil, Total Oil Company, etc.

The Consortium of Agrarian Reform (2001) indicated that at least,

Second , the backwardness of productive forces that caused by remnant feudalism and domination imperialist industries all over Indonesia. Indonesian peasantry had introduced with modern technology, but it was not for benefits for the people and only serving the interest of big domestic businessmen, big landowners, and imperialism.

The biggest effect of the imposed used of modern technologies in the agrarian society in Indonesia is the growth of unemployment in the countryside. The women peasants were easily expelled. This gave much fortune for the big global capitalist to use their labor force. The unemployed women of the countryside supplied the cheap labor for the neo-colonial industries in the urban forming the feminization of the Indonesian industries.

Third , state violence and anti-democratic, anti-people, and anti-peasants policies that imposed by the bloody puppets regime of US imperialism. Until today, puppets regime always use the security approach to resolve any land dispute and agrarian conflict that happened in Indonesia. Some leaders are arrested or jailed, some was murdered. Those cases happened in Bulukumba (South of Celebes), Garut, Subang, and Ciamis (West Java), Banyumas and Wonosobo (Central Java), Manggarai (East Nusa Tenggara), Muko-Muko (Bengkulu), Labuhan Batu and Porsea (North of Sumatra), Sesepa-Luwu (Central of Celebes), Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Halmahera (Northern of Mollucas), and Banyuwangi (East Java).

Nevertheless, those approaches did not accomplish all the contradiction, which become the cause of the conflict. That is why, the peasant's organization movement of Indonesia demands the cancellation of arrested peasant's leader that had been retained by anti-peasants law and demands the discontinuance the violence approaches of the state machineries.

Despite demanding the cancellation of all arrested peasants leader, the Indonesian democratic peasant's movement also refuses draft of Agrarian Resources Act, which promoted by National Agrarian Board (Badan Pertanahan Nasional) which proposed as the replacement of Agrarian Act 1960. This draft is only serving imperialist and big landowner's interest. It will totally change the essence of Agrarian Act 1960. The draft are also allay the crucial mandates of the implementation for agrarian reform program which be the essence of Agrarian Act 1960.

The states violence approaches were always used to force the acceptance of people on many state or corporate infrastructure projects. The projects were funded by multi-finance institutions, such ADB or World Bank, the TNCs or MNCs, and serving the imperialist interest in Indonesia. These infrastructure projects always violated the peoples and peasants rights.

The people rights violation by dam's infrastructure projects, such Kedungombo dam's project, in the Central Java province, the Dam Project of Jatigede in Sumedang, West Java, or Nipah dam's project, became the second biggest infrastructure project after the expansion of big-plantations areas. That is why the cancellation of all infrastructure projects also included as the demands among other demands of the peasants and people democratic movement in Indonesia.

Last, the agrarian crises are one among other effect that caused by US imperialism. However, in the agrarian based like Indonesia, the agrarian crises are the biggest effect among others. It caused the poverty and many kind of backwardness among the peasants as majority Indonesian populations. These situations are not only had enriched the semi-feudal oppression in the vast area of countrysides but also blockaded the democratic movement in Indonesia.

Struggle Must Continue

Today, the Indonesian political regimes are headed by former army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and as his vice president, a big well-known and energetic comprador and a big land-lord, also the chairman of New Order political machine, Golongan Karya (GOLKAR), Muhammad Yussuf Kalla (MYK). They were coming into the presidential palace after gained 65 percent on Presidential Election 2004 and defeated the former President Megawati Soekarno Putri who alliance with the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) the outstanding traditional mass Moslem organization of Indonesia.

The winning of SBY-Kalla is not are the defeat of democratic movement of the Indonesian people. Just after their ambitious campaign, SBY and Kalla betrayed the people's hope in changing of Indonesian political and economical situation. On November 2004, just one month after the presidential inauguration, SBY-Kalla had raised the price of gas until 40 percent and on 1 March 2005, SBY-Kalla made second controversial policies by raising the fuel price until 29 percent. This is the highest price hike after the financial crises on 1997.

SBY-Kalla urged and imposed the hike price policy to cut the oil subsidies that cost almost 72 trillion rupiah (about US$. 815 million) on the national budget. As the compensations of the hikes, SBY-Kalla promises the people the 17 trillion rupiah as the fund compensations that will allocate to support the reducing poverties program on health and education.

Nevertheless, he did not mention that his regime still kept the foreign debt policies by allocating almost 110.8 trillion rupiah (US$ 1.18 billion) on the plan budget 2005. That is just an example that clarified the people of which sides the SBY-Kalla are.

Keeping the foreign debt policies are the same meaning with serving imperialism. In the term of Soekarno, SBY and Kalla are the small but alien community within a nation that had actual physical control. As the servant of imperialism, SBY and Kalla is " …“a skilful and determined enemy"  of the people.

This of course, makes SBY-Kalla did not have a scientific based to have the ability in solving the agrarian crises as the main or the core of Indonesian crises. Hence, SBY-Kalla only will make the bigger growing of the crises in Indonesia.

The Last but not Least

The lessons from historical experience since the VOC colonialism (1602-1799), Dutch Colonialism (1800-1942), Japanese Occupation (1942-1945), or the New Order Regime (1966-1998), were gave the understanding of Indonesian people on the essence of political regimes whom ruled Indonesia.

As we all can see, the worsening crises of imperialism and the decay of feudalism gave a scientific reason for Indonesian oppressed people to continue the struggle against imperialism in the line of struggle against puppet regimes of Imperialism. For us in Indonesia, the meaning of struggle against imperialism is the struggle of people against its local reactionaries alliance that ruled Indonesia.

Almost everyday we are watching the mass protest and demonstration across of country. Almost all the protests were caused by imperialist policies that forced by its puppet in Indonesia.

The Indonesian people need to gain the genuine independence and democratic society, as the only was to improve the live hood for all Indonesian people. Land reform in the countryside and the nationalization of industries in the urban industries areas have to be applied to gain those needs.

The requirement that would be needed are willingness of all the democratic and anti-imperialist people of Indonesia to work harder, to arouse, to organize, and mobilize people in opposing and exposing the imperialist domination and its puppets policies. The willingness had to be guided by the correct political line that based on the contradiction amongst Indonesian society.

The correct propaganda to expose and oppose the imperialist dominations and the oppressions of remnant feudalism amongst the masses, especially working class and peasantry, are needed to advance the masses struggle against imperialism.

For Indonesian peasantry, the development of the genuine and democratic peasants based organization is heavily needed. The requirement for these is the existence of poor and landless peasant's leaderships and the correct political line that be based on the concrete contradictions in the countryside which are the urge of the implementation of the land reform programs, the descent of the land-rents, the just sharecrops, and the erasure of all kind usuries. It will serve for the advancement of peasant mass struggle against imperialism and domination of remnant feudalism.

As we all concern, the genuine independence and democratic society not only needed for the peasantry but for all people a cross the country. This become the basic and fundamental reason to build democratic and anti-imperialist front amongst the masses at the national and international levels, which consisted by the basic alliance of the working class and peasantry with all democratic elements, such women, youth and student, intellectuals, and other progressive, democratic, and anti-imperialist element of the Indonesian people.

The last but not least, the meaning struggle for genuine independence and democratic society in Indonesia are building a new Indonesia that based on the realizing of nationalist, democratic, and just aspirations of the working masses and all oppressed people in Indonesia. This will become the genuine and democratic expression of the people regarding the meaning of Bandung Spirit 1955.

The Secretariat of National Preparation Committee of Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria/ AGRA (The Alliance of Agrarian Reform Movement)

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