Six out of nine candidates elected! The representatives of landless farmers have done fantastically. With massive participation (at times more than 90%) the local elections held on the 9th of September, in the Bantang district on the island of Java, constituted a fundamental stake concerning access to land. The term of office of a mayor is 6 years, and his signature is necessary to renew the attribution of farming rights. Since 1965, the exploitation of the plantations in Batang was carried out by private businesses such as Pagilaran PT which has a cultivatable area of more than 1100 hectares. However, these electoral victories do not just symbolise growing hope among the people. They are proof that an organised social movement can obtain political success.

A moderate yet ethical campaign 

Pagilaran PT has a legal right to farm land, a HGU [1], given under the dictatorship of President Suharto. However, this HGU expires on the 31st of December 2008. Thus, the company has asked the National Farming Board (BPN) for its renewal for a duration of 95 years [2]. This is in light of the new law on investment, voted in 2007 by the current head of state of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. With the help of FPPB [3], nine local organisations in the Batang district organised a candidate to represent the interests of farmers and poor workers. Three of these organisations were directly confronted by Pagilaran PT. The FPPB thus organised training for the candidates, during various meetings, highlighting in particular the use of ethical means to realise their campaign. The commitments undertaken were threefold. Firstly, the candidates were not to use “money politic” ie voters were not to be bought (a common practice in Indonesia) either directly or indirectly. Next, no more than 5 million rupiahs, approximately 500 €, should be spent on their campaign, in contrast to the 200 million rupiahs sometimes used by the candidates representing the interests of companies. Finally, there should be no use of reproachable methods (violence, intimidation, spreading rumours…). The FPPB also made a short film which was shown widely throughout the villages.

	The candidates wait for the verdict of the voters / © Maia Levasseur (FDH)

The electoral victory – a fundamental step 

Thus, the electoral campaigns would not have been possible without the solidarity in the villages surrounding the candidates. There has been a movement away from a system whereby traditionally, the candidate gave a variety of presents to the voters, towards a practice whereby the voters do all they can to help a candidate in his mission. Wahyudi, who himself lives in great poverty, is a candidate who is symbolic of these elections. His village, Keteleng, was constructed right in the middle of plantations, yet its inhabitants do not own any land whatsoever. The unemployment rate there is significant, and the houses, made of wood and metal sheets, date from the 19th Century. Wahyudi’s victory in the elections as the head of his village is a sign of hope, even if it represents only one stage in the global process of appropriation of land. Primarily, he will have to assure that the existing laws pertaining to education (primary education free for all) and health (free access to hospitals for the poorest on the recommendation of the mayor) are correctly applied.

The strong movement before the polling stations is proof of the growing significance assumed by politics from here onwards. Public affairs, which, by definition, are of concern and interest to everyone, are matters followed by all, for the benefit of everyone. The next step will be to attempt to get candidates elected to local parliament, as has already been done in the region of West Java with the SPP [4]. This process characterises the transformation of social movements into political participation.