Four Madurese farmers return to seek justice
Four Madurese farmers return to seek justice
JAKARTA (JP): Four farmers from the island of Madura returned
to Jakarta yesterday to demand that the authorities bring to
justice those responsible for the death of their four colleagues
during a land conflict in September last year.
The farmers, who said they represent thousands of their
colleagues in the Sampang regency, met with members of the
National Commission on Human Rights, asking that they push the
government to reopen the case.
Junaidi, P. Hudhori, Zaini and M. Makruf met with Baharuddin
Lopa, the commission's secretary general, and members Bambang W.
Soeharto and Clementino Dos Reis Amaral.
They said that they have been haunted once again by the
national land agency to measure the land in the area although the
government has not yet resolved the case that lead to the death
of their friends.
"We want the incident settled and those guilty brought to
trial. Only after that will we agree to discuss further deals
concerning our land," said Makruf in his thick Madura dialect.
Three men and a woman were killed in September during a
demonstration which ensued when a government team visited their
village to measure the land which was being acquired for a huge
reservoir. According to one version, troopers accompanying the
team opened fire on the demonstrators.
The incident caused a major uproar, forcing the military and
the local government to remove some of the top officials in
Madura. To date, no one however, has been brought to court.
The farmers yesterday asked the Commission to persuade the
government to prosecute those responsible and halt any attempt to
acquire the land until the matter is fully resolved in court.
They also asked Commission members to visit Sampang and talk
with the local people and put a stop to practices of
intimidation.
Chance
Responding to the appeal, Lopa asked the people of Sampang to
give the government a chance to investigate the incident, while
allowing land measurements to proceed at the same time.
"This is what I call making good use of time... When people
come to the Commission, they can't always get what they want
because this is not a courtroom. At the Commission we don't have
winners or losers, instead we create a bridge which brings the
two sides together," Lopa explained.
Lopa suggested that the people give two or three years for the
government to prosecute those responsible for the killings.
"If there's no verdict by then, the people can sue the
officials," he said, adding that as a guarantee, the government
could agree to hold off construction of any development projects
until a verdict is reached.
Lopa said the commission "seriously considered" the Nipah case
and planned to visit the area sometime in the future.
However, he said, the Commission would also like to see the
Madura people, the local government officials and religious
leaders come together.
He asked the people not to be easily provoked "because no one
benefits from it".
Zaini said that although he considered Lopa's suggestions
"very good", the group could not immediately agree on them until
they had the approval of their people in Sampang.
Commenting on Lopa's request that the villagers get together
with the government, Zaini said, "That is exactly our problem and
it is why we are here."
"The government has never made an attempt to approach us ...
Even the measurements on our lands were made without consulting
us. We have always given in to them," he pointed out.
The group said Lopa -- who until the end of the meeting was
unable to settle on a date for his visit to East Java -- could
have the people's response to his requests when he visited them.
(pwn)