Indonesia Cosmetic Reform

Since the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian Second President, the reforms done by the succeeding Indonesian Government seems to have worse result. Corruption that was once reserved only among the ‘elites’ (the high ranking government officers) has now spread to all levels of government institutions - so much so that the practice of corruption has become so blatant and bold. This level of corruption has distorted the system and the practice of justice, rights protection, etc. becomes negligible.

Take, for instance, the following case:

It took place in Lontar, Surabaya (Indonesia’s second largest city). A family has lived in the area since 1980s. They supported themselves by running a family business of mango farm in a land of about 5000m². Their land ownership has been certified by BPN (National Land Authority) – a government institution that manages land ownership in Indonesia.

The city of Surabaya has grown so much that the city development starts to spread into surrounding areas, including Lontar. Thus, Lontar – once an unnoticeable farmland area with poor infrastructure – becomes a strategic place for houses and apartments development.

Starting from 2004, the family was intimidated and harassed to leave their house. They were intimidated by a group of people, their crops were damaged, their fences were smashed, and their house was burned down. All these events took place from 2004-2006 and each of these incidents has been reported to the local police (Polresta Surabaya Selatan). The reports were noted by the police, but never followed up.

For those unfamiliar with Indonesia, there is a saying among the local people: “You lost a goat. If you report to the police, you will lose a cow”. It reflects the doubts that Indonesian people have on the police officers. The truth is that when you report to the Indonesian police, they tend to demand more money from you so much so that the amounts of money you spend will double your losses. Thus, you lose a goat; you report to the police, they ask money from you, and the money you spent will cost you a cow. What if you don’t give them any money? Your case will be stalled. What if you give them money? There is no guarantee that they will not stall your case.

In late 2006, a group of 50-100 people came to Lontar and forced the family out of the house. The family went to the Police (Polresta Surabaya Selatan) asking for protection, and yet there was no response. In the end, by the afternoon, they were physically harmed and forced out of the house. A tall wall was built around the farm, and now the land is claimed by a company, PT Pillar Mutiara Pratama (PMP).

Upon double-checking with BPN (National Land Authority), BPN still insists that the family is the proper owner of the land and PMP has no proof of ownership, and the city government (Pemerintah Kota) stated that the PMP’s wall is illegal and has no permit. However, up to now, the wall still stands tall and the family is unable to access their house.

This case has been brought up several times by local newspapers. However, since the law enforcement mechanism does not work, there was no action taken. The city government too starts to pretend as if there was nothing happening.

What a sad moment to be Indonesian citizens. If you were in the position of the Lontar family, what would you do?