Joint declaration of the Indonesian People’s Movement Conference

Arah Juang – April 29, 2018
People's Movement Conference in Jakarta - April 19-20, 2018 (AJ)
People's Movement Conference in Jakarta - April 19-20, 2018 (AJ)

On April 19-20, representatives from some 42 organisations gathered in Jakarta to take part in the People’s Movement Conference (KGR).

The conference was initiated by the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI), the Confederation of United Indonesian Workers (KPBI), the National Labour Movement Centre (SGBN) and the Populist Democratic Trade Union (SEDAR).

The conference, which was attended by around 500 people from around the country, produced the following declaration:

We, the Indonesian workers, Indonesian farmers, Indonesian youth, Indonesian women, and those fighting for democracy, human rights, the environment and against corruption, declare the following resolutions and the struggle of the Indonesian people’s movement:

Capitalism is the principle source of the people’s problems. It creates poverty, suffering, environmental destruction, human rights violations, corruption, the destruction of natural resources and political, social and cultural inequality.

The capitalist and imperialist regime threatens democracy by on the one hand issuing policies that restrict democratic space such as the law on social organisations (Perppu Ormas), the Information and Electronic Transaction Law (UU ITE) and the Legislative Institutions Law (UU MD3), and on the other hand giving space to strengthen capitalist forces, militarism, fundamentalism, patriarchy and rampant corruption.

The unity of the people’s movement and building an alternative political force is an urgent need for the people to be able to fight the capitalist-imperialist regime that is in power.

Mandate of the Indonesian People’s Movement Conference:

  • Recommending to the individual organisations that were involved in the conference to discuss building an alternative political force.
  • Establishing a team to discuss the formation of an alternative political force (an alternative political party or alternative political block).
  • Holding follow up consolidations with the broader people’s movement to discuss building an alternative political force in July this year.

The urgent demands of the people:

  • Develop a national industry under the control of the people
  • Nationalise strategic assets such as state-owned enterprises, mining and infrastructure
  • Genuine agrarian reform
  • Increase subsidies for the people in education, healthcare, housing and transportation
  • Revoke the laws on elections and political parties
  • Abolish the military’s territorial command structure
  • Abolish anti-democratic legislation (the Perppu Ormas, UU MD3 and the UU ITE)
  • Try and jail corruptors and seize their assets
  • Address the welfare and human rights violations in Papua and respect the Papuan people’s right to struggle for self-determination
  • Protect women’s rights (maternity leave, breast feeding and an end to sexual violence) and end discrimination based on sexual orientation, race or religion
  • Free, scientific and democratic education
  • A decent national minimum wage and the revocation of Government Regulation 78/2015 on Wages
  • Abolish contract labour systems and outsourcing and enact legislation on the protection of workers
  • Fully investigate and resolve past human rights violations
  • Universal social welfare, not social insurance
  • Protection for migrant workers prior to and after placement
  • An end to the exploitation of natural resources and the destruction of the environment

Stop the forced eviction of the poor from their land
Jakarta, April 20, 2018

Respectfully,

Indonesian People’s Movement Conference

(KPBI, KASBI, KSN, SGBN, SEDAR, JARKOM PERBANKAN, SINDIKASI, SMI, AKMI, GPPI, LMND, FRONT NASIONAL-UNAS, PEMBEBASAN, FMK, KPOP, SPRI, KOLEKTIFA, LSS, FRI-WP, GEREJA KRISTEN ANUGERAH, FORUM ISLAM PROGRESIF, SAVE GUNUNG SELAMET, PRP, POLITIK RAKYAT, PPR, KPO PRP, MILITAN INDONESIA, INDOPROGRES, ISLAM BERGERAK, KPA, WALHI, KONTRAS, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, YLBHI, LBH JAKARTA, IKOHI, TURC, LIPS, MAHARDIKA, SOLIDARITAS PEREMPUAN, AMP, SEBUMI)

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was Deklarasi Bersama Konferensi Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia. Arah Juang is the official website of the Political Congress of the Working People’s Organisation of Struggle (KPO-PRP).]

Source: http://www.arahjuang.com/2018/04/29/deklarasi-bersama-konferensi-gerakan-rakyat-indonesia/