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The Agrarian Reform Policy is aimed to obtain community welfare based on the principle of justice with regards to the distribution and management of land for the marginalized. Unfortunately, in Yogyakarta, agrarian reform seems mostly absent and when it is present, it tends to benefit the elite. How it benefits the elite is clearly manifested, one merely has to look at some of the mega-development projects in Yogyakarta, for instance the build of the new Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA), and the iron sand mini and steel factory in Kulon Progo.
Until now, the Yogyakarta regional government has been playing nice regarding this issue and has hidden themselves behind Yogyakarta’s position as one of two special autonomous regions in Indonesia, allowing the Governor of Jogja (who is the Sultan by birth) giving the Governor more leeway to make decisions independently from central government command. Their “nice attitude” shows that the government contributes to the perpetuation of feudalistic practices in Yogyakarta, which creates a division amongst the people involved in the agrarian conflict. In this episode, we will explore the history of agrarian reform in Yogyakarta, and the agrarian struggles and movements that are happening today.
Transcript and translation will be updated soon!
