On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 30-31, 2013, a discussion and community strengthening took place at the RMI Bogor Office for the Nanggung community. The speakers were Pilnet and Kent (KPA), facilitated by Sandoro Purba from HuMa. The discussion participants consisted of 11 members of the Nanggung community currently in conflict with PT Hevindo.

The discussion revolved around the current national land politics situation, where many land-related regulations are disadvantageous and pressing for landless communities. The framework of agrarian reform itself must involve all community entities. In the case of Nanggung, the organization phase is progressing well, and there is a desire to fight.

However, it needs to be emphasized how the community is truly involved in this struggle, especially regarding land issues since the community’s livelihood also depends on gold mining besides land. It would be challenging if the struggle does not focus on what is desired. Land must truly be seen as a source of livelihood for the community.

Government support in terms of regulations for agrarian reform is already quite supportive, especially in determining the status of abandoned land. As a prerequisite, subject and object data that will be fought for must be fulfilled.

There are certain requirements to engage with the government, but if internal organizational context fails, how can the organization ensure that communication runs smoothly? At the grassroots level, historical document collection related to changes in crops in the Nanggung community is needed. This will make all changes in the community clear and certain.

This is important to note because it is crucial to prove the economic value in raising the case to many people. Others can consider its economic value if the land has become a source of income for the residents. It is also necessary to share the farming skills of fellow farmers for comparison in spatial planning concepts. There needs to be liaison members from top leadership to team leaders. They can act as information mediators and data collectors. This PR is a long and winding journey to realize the future welfare of the Nanggung community. ***