The Fight of Moro-Moro Farmers to Defend Their Right on the Land

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The Fight of Moro-Moro Farmers to Defend Their
Right on the Land

• Presented by Rahmat Ajiguna, APC Deputy
  Secretary General and AGRA Secretary General at
  EAA-NCCP Advocacy Capacity Strengthening
  Workshop, November 24-29, 2012 , Mandaluyong,
  Philippines

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What is APC? 

• APC is an Asia-wide coalition of farmers,
  landless peasants, fisherfolks, agricultural
  workers, dalit, indigenous peoples, herders,
  pastoralists, peasant women and rural youth
  founded in March 2003.
• It has more than 15 million members representing
  33 organizations coming from 9 countries in Asia
  such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal,
  Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, and
  Sri Lanka.
• APC advocates for genuine agrarian reform and
  food sovereignty.

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The condition of nature and people of Moro-Moro

• Geographically Moro- Moro is located in an
  administrative sub-district of Way Serdang,
  regency of Mesuji, Province of Lampung. This area
  can be reached in 5 hours from the capital city
  of South Celebes Lampung.
• The concession of PT. Silva Abadi was obtained
  based on the decision of the ministry of forestry
  in No.93/Menhut-II/1997 dated Feb.17 1997
  Jo.No.SK.322/Menhut-II/2004 dated Aug 27, 2004
  to PT.Silva Inhutani Lampung given IUPHHK-HT (d/h
  HPHTI) for the land area of 42,762 ha in the
  capital city of the province Lampung.

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• Moro- Moro is occupied by more/less 955 farming
  families or 3,518 individuals who are spread in 5
  areas of villages. The people was organized in 28
  groups of famers which has 18-30 people each
  under The Union of Poor Farmers of Way Serdang
• In the Moro-Moro village, there are various kinds
  of tribes and religions. From the largest group
  Jawa, Bali, Lampung, Batak and others. The
  religions consist of Islam 60, Hindu 35,
  Kristen 5 and Budha. The people are able to use
  the local dialect or at least understand it. The
  diversity of the tribes has given the most
  valuable knowledge to the people because they can
  at least exchange the knowledge of language and
  the skill to produce.

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The History of Moro-Moro People

• People began to come to Moro- Moro village to
  till the land in 1996 and started to settle there
  since 1997 until now. The people has been
  experiencing different kind of agony and physical
  hardship. The most torment felt by the Moro- Moro
  people is how the government treated them. The
  government is not helping them, but instead
  oppose all the efforts of the farmers to till
  their small lands. Until this time, Moro-Moro
  people are not yet recognized and even evicted
  from one place to another. They are excluded in
  their very own country.
• The pre-development of land and settlement in
  Moro-Moro
• The people who stay in Moro- Moro are the
  victims of land grabbing by the PT. B.G Dasaad
  for HPH.

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• The development of arable land in 1996
• Dozens of farmers started to enter the Moro-moro
  area -which now is claimed by PT. Silva as its
  area of concession. The people started to develop
  the land which overgrown by the shrubs and was
  yet not developed by the company.
• During this period, the people started to till
  and developed the land by planting cassava and
  pineapple, and also built houses for them to
  live. Their harvest during that time were used to
  built their homes and different kind of other
  facilities.
• PT. Silva started to arrest and intimidate the
  people but the people resist. They occupied new
  area for planting in order to survive for their
  daily needs, where, intimidation started to
  heighten from time to time.

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• The development of Moro-Moro village from
  1997-2006
• This period, building homes are the main activity
  of the people. The village would not just be a
  place for planting but also for living
  permanently.
• In t2002, license given to PT.Silva was revoked
  by the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of
  Indonesia for reasons that the company did not
  pay the concession fee, did not state its yearly
  plan, and did not observe the forest purpose as
  amended.
• In 2004, PT.Silva petition was granted by the
  Supreme Court. Even in the following year, the
  company that obviously did not plant the forest
  as amended was granted a bigger land for no logic
  reason at all.

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• In 2006, the government of Lampung formed a team
  consisting of Ministry of Forestry, police, army,
  forest police, and others to drive our the people
  of Moro-Moro. They violently burned the village
  and arrested the people.
• The establishment of a mass organization and
  peoples resistance (2006-2010)
• The formation of a farmers organization marked a
  new era for Moro-Moro fight. They started to be
  more systematic in doing propaganda and mass
  campaign including education campaign to
  strengthen their organization and its members.
  The result was incredible, there were many good
  and strong fight done.

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The success achieved

• The people who belongs to PPMWS succeeded in
  defending 3,000 hectares of land.
• Succeed in building education facilities of
  Kindergarten, Elementary, and Junior high School.

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Thank you
APC Secretariat office217-B Alley 1, Road 7,
Project 6 Quezon City, Philippines
1100Telephone [phone]Fax
632-4352383E-mail apcsecretariat_at_asianpeasant.o
rgWebsite www.asianpeasant.org