Agrarian movements and rural populism in Indonesia

Abstract

In this article, we reflect on the changing trajectories of agrarian movements in Indonesia. In the two decades after independence, a left-populist alliance of peasants, plantation workers, and other affiliate organizations achieved a mass following and were embraced by President Sukarno.In the aftermath of their violent destruction, the Suharto regime reordered agrarian movements into a single corporatist model. Suharto's downfall opened the way for the re-emergence of agrarian organizations and movements.But two decades later, they remain small and fragmented, with little influence at the national level. In the changing conditions of rural life, and the increasingly authoritarian political context, progressive rural movements face dilemmas on questions both of their focus and goals and of tactical alliances with other progressive movements and political elites. A broader, more inclusive progressive populist alliance is a possibility, but with the continuing danger of co-optation by forces of the populist right.

Progressive politics and populism: Classes of labour and rural–urban political sociology—An introduction to the special issue

“…In doing so, they raise significant issues about the nature of agrarian alliances and agrarian populism (Aftab & Ali, this issue; Engels, this issue; Monjane, this issue; Pye & Chatuthai, this issue; Sankey, this issue). Some of the special issue articles also assess the contexts that shape possibilities for, and responses to, mobilization—addressing historical and contemporary state violence, or showing how forms of government are linked to dynamics of accumulation, both nationally and internationally (Bush, this issue; Jakobsen & Nielsen, this issue; Karataşli & Kumral, this issue; White et al, this issue). Kalb's article in the Special Issue, meanwhile, explores why significant numbers of people belonging to classes of labour support right‐wing populism—a vital political question in the search for a progressive politics, and one of the key mechanisms through which capitalism divides and rules.…”

“…Social reproduction is increasingly stretched spatially, and the contributions to this special issue reflect that. Most of the articles point to daily, temporary, and longer‐term movement between the countryside and the city for work, and most outline a progressive politics that is neither rural nor urban, but both simultaneously (Bush, this issue; Engels, this issue; Jakobsen & Nielsen, this issue; Karataşli & Kumral, this issue; Pye & Chatuthai, this issue; White et al, this issue).…”

“…In their search for a progressive politics in rural Indonesia, White et al (this issue) underline the need to link the agrarian, rural, and urban politically and argue for the take‐up of ‘wider issues of economic, environmental, gender and generational justice’. Although agrarian issues remain significant for the simple reproduction of rural‐based households, there is no longer a sufficient social basis for purely agrarian demands given the sheer numbers of rural households making a living across the rural–urban divide.…”

“…Although agrarian issues remain significant for the simple reproduction of rural‐based households, there is no longer a sufficient social basis for purely agrarian demands given the sheer numbers of rural households making a living across the rural–urban divide. Despite this, agrarian movements in Indonesia remain focused on their sector, largely ‘disconnected from contemporary rural issues of mass appeal, especially for young people’ whose concerns are more likely to centre on accessing decent jobs and welfare programmes (White et al, this issue). Land remains important, but most ‘do not live in the shadow of dispossession’ (White et al, this issue).…”

“…Despite this, agrarian movements in Indonesia remain focused on their sector, largely ‘disconnected from contemporary rural issues of mass appeal, especially for young people’ whose concerns are more likely to centre on accessing decent jobs and welfare programmes (White et al, this issue). Land remains important, but most ‘do not live in the shadow of dispossession’ (White et al, this issue). Prominent agrarian organizations in Indonesia like the Serikat Petani Indonesia, long the regional convenor of Via Campesina, largely overlook the issues of sharecropping shares and agricultural wages even though the former are still often lower than what 1960 legislation stipulates and the latter are still usually far below official minimum wages.…”