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| Shamans from the Salakhirat group of the indigenous Mentawai tribe practice a Bilou dance in Siberut, West Sumatra. (EPA Photo) |
Indonesia
loves its social media. In a country that hosts 64 million active Facebook
users, 29 million Twitter users and 1.7 million users of LinkedIn, the
statistics speak for themselves.
Once it was
a good way to waste some time but increasingly, the internet and social media
is being used to mobilize social action, facilitate political participation and
share beyond geographical constraints and across national borders.
From as
early as 1994, with what started as a local struggle for the indigenous people
of Mexico’s Chiapas and grew to become the transnational Zapatista movement, to
the public demonstrations of the Arab Spring that spread across the Middle East
from December 2010, the internet and social media has become one of the
essential tools for modern social movement.
The
indigenous people of Indonesia are not excluded from this activism phenomenon.
Earlier
this year, the Constitutional Court delivered a historic ruling on the 1999
Forestry Law, following a submission by the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the
Archipelago (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara – Aman), a national
membership-based organization representing over 2,000 indigenous communities.
The
Constitutional Court Decision 35, as it is often referred to, declares the word
“state” in Article 1(6) of the Forestry Law to not be legally binding. So where
it previously read “customary forests are state forests located in indigenous
peoples’ territories,” the ruling declared that it should simply read
“customary forests are forests located in indigenous peoples’ territories.”
For the
estimated 50 to 70 million indigenous people in Indonesia, the decision was met
with much praise.
It gave a
glimpse into something of a brave new world: the denial of government ownership
over potentially 40 million hectares of forests, and with it, their ability to
grant concessions for mining and logging.
It also
meant that the possible stewardship of customary forests is now completely in
the hands of local indigenous communities who have lived and managed these
forests for generations.
Yet the
welcome was met with equal reservation.
“What the
indigenous people need immediately is a concrete mechanism in the field,
indicating that the government and its relevant agencies comply with the
Court’s decision,” said Abdon Nababan, secretary general of Aman, at a
gathering of civil society organizations following the ruling.
Taking to Facebook
It wasn’t
long before Aman members began erecting placards in customary forests that read
“ Ini hutan adat kami, bukan hutan negara ” (this is our customary forest, not
a state forest).
Photos were
uploaded to the Hutan Adat Kita (Our Customary Forest) Facebook page, an
initiative started by the Indigenous Youth Front, the youth wing of Aman.
“[Hutan
Adat Kita] was created to raise awareness among indigenous communities as well
as the broader public about the Constitutional Court Decision 35.
“The photos
are there to affirm that customary forests are forests on customary land and
publicly show that indigenous people are eager to reclaim their forests and
have the forests returned to them,” said Simon Pabaras, chairman of the
Indigenous Youth Front.
Closely
tied in with the recognition and practical application of indigenous
sovereignty over customary forests is the fundamental recognition and
protection of the rights of indigenous peoples themselves.
Lack of
commitment
Since 2011
the bill on the Recognition and Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
has sat with the People’s Representative Council. It is a single piece of
legislation that will formally recognize and protect the rights of indigenous
people in Indonesia.
Currently
any legislative protection of indigenous people is sectoral based and largely
peripheral.
A special
committee, comprised of the minister for forestry and the minister for law and
justice among others, was established earlier this year to oversee the bill.
However, when the bill will be passed is as unclear as when the Constitutional
Court Decision 35, which was announced six months ago, will be implemented.
“The
government has not shown the will to implement the Constitutional Court
Decision 35 or adopt the bill on the Recognition and Protection of the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples,” Simon said. “We don’t have a lot of time left.”
Petitioning
power
In danger
of being drowned out as political preparations and campaigning for the 2014
election begin to ramp up, Aman has circulated Petisi 35, a petition to push
the government to pass the bill on the Recognition and Protection of the Rights
of Indigenous People and implement the Constitutional Court Decision 35.
Accompanying the paper-based petition is, of course, an online petition also.
Currently
there are more than 2,000 signatures from both the online and offline petition.
Aman hopes
to receive many more signatures from Indonesia and around the world. The effect
of social media will play its part in achieving that.
“We are
asking for the support of justice for indigenous peoples and their rights over
land, territories and resources including customary forests…
“We urge
the government of Indonesia to immediately implement the Constitutional Court’s
decision and to recognize and protect indigenous peoples’ rights by adopting
the bill,” Simon said.
For the
moment, Aman acknowledges that its offline campaigning activities for Petisi 35
have gathered the most support because of the spread of its member communities
across the archipelago living without internet access.
Likewise,
poor signals where there is internet access has been an obstacle for some
communities sending through their photos to the Hutan Adat Kita Facebook page.
Despite
this, Simon acknowledged the continuing significance of social media and the
internet in supporting the indigenous movement in Indonesia.
“We can
strengthen the indigenous movement through online networking and connecting
with other organizations like workers, farmers and fishermen.
“But we
also know that many people use social media in Indonesia and it has become a potential
arena for campaigning.”
As another
tool for the modern activists and advocates, expect to see more frequent
appearances of the indigenous movement in the online arena.
Jacqueline
Pham is a volunteer working with Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (Aman), a
membership based organization representing and advocating on behalf of
indigenous people in Indonesia.
Petisi 35
is available in both Bahasa Indonesia and English. To sign the online petition
Petisi 35, please visit change.org. The Hutan Adat Kita Facebook page can be
visited at www.facebook.com/HutanAdatKita.
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