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Farmers in North Sumatra threaten to boycott presidential elections

Detik.com - April 29, 2009

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – Thousands of farmers in North Sumatra (Sumut) have threatened to boycott the July 8 presidential elections if the various problems facing farmers are not resolved. This threat was conveyed during a protest action at the offices of the North Sumatra National Land Agency (BPN) on Jl. Brigjen Katamso in Medan on Wednesday April 29.

The farmers, who came from the North Sumatra Politics for the Poor-National Farmers Union (STN-PRM), urged the government to listen to their aspirations about the liberation of the people’s land in North Sumatra.

“We are disillusioned with the Sumut BPN and the BPN in Jakarta because not one of the land problems in North Sumatra has been resolved, yet the land dispute resolution operation has already been running for the last two years,” said action coordinator Mangiring P. Sinaga.

This disillusionment, said Sinaga, of is often felt and farmers who are fed up. Because of this therefore, if their request is not realised, then the farmers will not cast their vote in the coming presidential elections.

The protest action by the farmers – who came from three North Sumatra regencies – was held in the form of a long-march from the Merdeka Square in Medan. These three areas represent the centre of land disputes in North Sumatra, namely the regencies of Sahan, Labuhan Batu and Deli Serdang. The total amount of land under dispute in these areas is around 360 hectares.

In a press statement the farmers called for a resolution to the land disputes and asked for the return of the people’s land in accordance with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution and Law Number 5/1960 on Agrarian Reform. (rul/djo)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

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