Mobs get own back in land rows

By Pandaya

JAKARTA (JP): A gang of 200 men descended out of the scenic Cibodas hills of West Java in the middle of the dark night of July 20. Armed with knives and hoes, they fell upon the golf course, chopped down trees, dug up the land and raised banners proclaiming their "victory".

Officials on duty in the clubhouse fled in panic and police officers guarding the main gate to the course looked at each other in despair as they realized the expected raid on the course had taken place right under their noses.

The "invaders" were student-led farmers intent on regaining land developed into the 33-hectare golf course in Cimacan village, about two hours drive southeast of here. They claimed the land which PT Bandung Asri Mulya coercively acquired in collaboration with the local government in 1987 still rightfully belonged to them.

"They offered only Rp 30 per square meter in compensation. Isn't that ridiculous?" said farmer Pardi. "Government officials have always sided with capitalists."

Local officials, claiming that the disputed land belonged to the state, leased the site to the firm for 30 years for Rp 90 million. Civil servants who happened to own part of the land were reportedly threatened with dismissal if they did not surrender their titles.

Negotiations held under the scorching sun on July 21 between the frustrated farmers and nervous government and military officials led nowhere.

The officials suggested the farmers ask the Supreme Court to reexamine the case. In the late 1980s the same court ruled in favor of the company.

However, the farmers ignored this advice and instead demanded the company relinquish the property there and then.

The snubbed officials were then jeered off the scene while the farmers continued filling man-made lagoons with sand and planting vegetables.

Golf course employees watching the events unfold expressed fears that their company's Rp 8 million daily turnover from catering for wealthy sportsmen would become a thing of the past.

The raid on the Cibodas golf course was only the latest in a growing trend of land seizures by local people who claim they were coerced into surrendering their property for unreasonably small compensation, or with no compensation at all.

Observers say coercive tactics were commonplace during the repressive Soeharto administration. The former president fell from grace on May 21 and has since been haunted by allegations of widespread corruption, collusion and nepotism.

The first such crime which received publicity was a case last month in which a mob occupied land in West Jakarta which they thought belonged to Soeharto. They claimed the land was acquired without due compensation being paid.

The same thing is now happening to Soeharto's famous Tri-S Tapos ranch, which would have been unthinkable during his time in power. The occupation was started by farmers from Cibedug village who claimed Soeharto plundered their ancestral land in the early 1970s to develop the 750-hectare cattle breeding ranch.

Fears abound that other properties belonging to Soeharto, his relatives and cronies are in imminent danger of being plundered.

In Surabaya, people have dug up a golf course belonging to a firm controlled by property tycoon Ciputra.

In all cases, security officers have proved impotent in the face of the mob actions, although top government officials have warned of stern action against looters.

Minister of Justice Muladi has urged stern but measured action against looters because a proliferation of mob banditry would earn Indonesia a reputation as an unsafe country.

However the Armed Forces, battling to restore its tarnished reputation, has conspicuously avoided taking harsh measures to stop the mobs.

Under mounting public pressure to take stern action, Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi has issued a shoot-on-sight order, but only for looters who "endanger officers' lives."

One observer believes that mob land seizures are a logical consequence of the reforms which society is vigorously pursuing. They are purging symbols of the authoritarian government under which they suffered in silence for 32 years.

"Although nobody in their right mind would justify land plundering, it is understandable why peasants have resorted to it," said lawyer Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, who handled major land disputes while he worked for the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute.

"In land disputes, the court almost always decides in favor of the government or business interests because the law has become a tool of the bureaucracy."

Pangaribuan believed the problem could be overcome if the speed of reform was accelerated and the nation lead by a democratically elected government.

Satjipto Rahardjo, a professor of law at Diponegoro University in Semarang, speculated that the rising incidence of looting and mob land seizures was simply the oppressed expressing their euphoria following the end of Soeharto's authoritarian rule.

"Now that people are enjoying unprecedented freedom of expression, many think they can do anything without fear of prosecution," he said as quoted by Antara.

People are still frustrated by the lack of social justice during the Soeharto government and they are now seeking to redress the balance.

Escalating lawlessness has damaged the nation's reputation of being a religious and tolerant society and religious leaders fear the crippling economic crisis is tempting people into violating the basic tenets of their religions to survive.

"The crisis has weakened people's commitment to religion," said Hussein Umar, a Moslem preacher and legislator.

Wayan Suarjaya, a Hindu leader, said senior religious figures and the security authorities should work hand in hand to prevent the country from descending into anarchy.

"At a time like this, when the majority of people have been deprived of their basic needs, it is not easy to persuade them to spurn the temptation to get things for free by breaking the laws of their religions and their state," he said.