InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – In the 63rd Commemoration of Farmer’s Day on 24 September 2023, Indonesia faced the serious challenges about agrarian conflicts in palm oil plantation sectors. Farmer’s Day should not be the moment to celebrate the services of farmers (smallholders) but also should contemplate the essence of Undang-Undang Pokok Agraria (UUPA) which was published in 1960 and becomes the basic policy to regulate every aspect about earth and everything good in it that the country mastered and used for the welfare of the people, as it is regulated in Chapter 33 article (3) Undang – Undang Dasar 1945 (UUD 45), which is a binding constitution of Indonesia.
As a place of struggle for smallholders, Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS) is committed to confirm the implementation of agrarian reform particularly in the context of palm oil plantations, to be really realized.
“We know that the scheme of 20% plasma plantations which should be provided for many villagers (when palm oil companies developing palm oil plantations) is the inheritance of Colonialism era. The country should implement agrarian reform as the way to solve inequality, conflicts, and poverty that many villagers bear,” Chairman of SPKS, Sabarudin said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, Monday (25/9/2023)
He thought, conflict about plasma scheme happened again in palm oil plantation sectors. Many smallholders and indigenous people in many regions become the victims to maintain their areas and struggle for justice in palm oil plantation (regulation). The conflicts raised because many companies often break their obligation to develop 20% plasma scheme for people, plasma cooperation, and unfair partnership.
In the recent days, the violation happened in many districts, such as, District of Seruyan, District of West Kotawaringin, West Sumatera Barat, and others that might not be exposed.
“The inability to solve conflicts, weak law enforcement, and non – partisanship of the government to the smallholders and indigenous people are the main factors that made the conflicts have no adequate solution. It seems the government is lack of fair concepts in palm oil plantation system,” Sabarudin said.
Besides, SPKS also criticized the government by substituting Plantation Laws through Undang – Undang Cipta Kerja and related regulations. This would postpone the smallholders to develop 20% plasma smallholders. Some said that getting solution on area conflicts in forest regions might be discriminative and difficult to be implemented.
That is why he continued, in the 63rd Farmer’s Day Commemoration, SPKS urged the government to deliver the main roles for the smallholders and their unions to manage palm oil plantation system nationally. The companies might be failure in this case and would raise (more) issues, poverty, and inequality.
“To confirm smallholders’ main roles, the government should limit business rights without extending their permits but support smallholders’ unions by delivering access of technology and financial facility. This would enable them to independently develop without depending on plantation companies,” he said. (T2)
