Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Hundreds of farmers and labor union staged a demonstration on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, commemorate the 64th anniversary of Indonesia’s National Farmers Day. The protest, organized by the Indonesian Farmers Union (SPI) and the Labor Party, took place in front of the Presidential Palace and the Parliament Building in Jakarta.
National Farmers Day, celebrated annually on September 24, was established by Presidential Decree No. 169 of 1963. This date commemorates the enactment of Law No. 5 of 1960, known as the Basic Agrarian Law (UU PA 1960), which laid the foundation for agrarian reform in the country.
Leaders from the Central Executive Committee of the Labor Party and the Central Board of SPI emphasized that National Farmers Day is a pivotal moment to strengthen the struggle for justice, prosperity, and welfare for farmers and rural workers across Indonesia.
Six Key Demands
The protest on the National Farmers Day highlighted a series of demands rooted in the push for agrarian reform, which was originally intended to address land inequality. As the Indonesian Farmers Union (SPI) and the Labor Party argue that the government has instead exacerbated these disparities.
The demonstration outlined six key demands aimed at the newly elected government, which is:
- Implement Agrarian Reform
The primary demand is for the government to implement comprehensive agrarian reform to address unequal land distribution. This includes ensuring land reform through the redistribution of land to landless people and small farmers for agriculture, fisheries, housing, and social services. - Halt National Strategic Projects
Protesters called on the government to stop National Strategic Projects (PSN) that displace local communities and destroy rainforests, such as food estate and real estate projects. They also demanded an end to land markets through the Land Bank and foreign ownership of land under the Right to Cultivate (HGU) and Right to Build (HGB) laws, which they criticized as capitalist and neoliberal measures backed by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. - Constitutional Agrarian Reform
The government was urged to carry out agrarian reform in accordance with Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law, and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Decree No. IX of 2001 on Agrarian Reform and Natural Resource Management. - Repeal of Harmful Laws
Protesters demanded the repeal of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation and other legislation harmful to farmers, such as the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction Law (P3H) and the Plantation Law. These laws, they argued, have often been used to justify land grabs, intimidation, and legal discrimination against farmers defending their land from corporate and forest claims. - Resolve Agrarian Conflicts
The fifth demand focused on the resolution of agrarian conflicts and an end to the criminalization and legal discrimination of farmers. The government was urged to protect farmers’ rights under Law No. 19 of 2013 on Farmer Protection and Empowerment and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. - Reject Food Imports
Protesters called on the government to reject food imports, advocating instead for the sourcing of food products from local family farmers rather than corporate-managed food estates. They also called for long-term agricultural policies grounded in agrarian reform and food sovereignty, encouraging a transition from green revolution-style farming to agroecology.
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This year’s National Farmers Day reflects deep-rooted concerns over agrarian inequality and the livelihoods of farmers, issues that remain central to Indonesia’s ongoing struggle for agrarian justice and food sovereignty.
(Raidi/Agung)
