Mighty hearts: Kartini Kendeng members encase their feet in concrete in protest of the development of cement factories in the Kendeng area of Central Java, which they believe will threaten their livelihoods and sources of water. Some companies, including state-owned PT Semen Indonesia, are expected to open up factories in the area.

Sukinah led a humble life as a farmer until she heard about the planned construction of a cement plant in her hometown in the Kendeng area, Central Java. Since then, Sukinah and her fellow farmers have done everything they can to oppose the plan.

In the heat of the sun on April 12, in front of the State Palace, a woman put her gypsum-coated feet into a square wooden crate. She was Sukinah.

A middle-aged man named Joko Priyanto, known as Print Woeloeng, slowly poured wet concrete into the crate. Print is the coordinator of the Mount Kendeng Community Network (JMPPK).

It was a form of protest by Sukinah and eight other women farmers from Kendeng who objected to the planned development of a cement plant in the Kendeng area. The other women were Karsupi, Sutini, Surani, Murtini, Giyem, Ngadinah, Rifambarwati and Deni Y.

The idea of encasing their feet in concrete, said Sukinah, came about suddenly when they gathered one night to discuss PT Semen Indonesia’s plan to develop a project on their land. Under the project, a cement plant was to be constructed on their fertile land, where natural springs come down from the Kendeng karst mountain range.

The cement plant, for which construction is being handled by PT Sahabat Mulia Sakti, is located in Pati region, while another construction site, handled by PT Semen Gresik Indonesia and PT Semen Indonesia, is located in the neighboring regency of Rembang. A remaining construction site is located in Blora.

Kendeng women describe the project as a form of devastation of their precious motherland. The development was granted an environmental permit by the regent. Therefore, in making her statement, Sukinah placed a stack of environment analysis documents under her feet to oppose the regent’s decision.

Pati residents filed a lawsuit in 2015, which was followed by another from people living around the Kendeng karst zone such as in Rembang, Blora and Grobogan. The Semarang High Court ruled in favor of the Pati community on Nov. 17, 2015, but the other party filed a cassation suit with the Supreme Court, which has yet to reach a decision.

Meanwhile, the Rembang people’s legal battle ran more smoothly. At first, Rembang residents and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) filed a lawsuit against Semen Indonesia at the Semarang State Administrative Court (PTUN). The case was turned down on April 6, 2015, and an appeal at the Semarang State Administrative High Court (PTTUN) was also rejected.

In early October, the Supreme Court’s case review ruled in favor of Rembang farmers and Walhi, canceling an environmental permit issued by the Central Java governor to Semen Gresik.

Behind the legal victory is the role of the women farmers, known as Kartini Kendeng. As one of the local heroines, Sukinah is seen as a motivator for the Kendeng women. According to her childhood friend Sutini, 40-year-old Sukinah is an ordinary farmer who was born in Tegaldowo.

Like Sutini, Sukinah is an elementary school graduate, who married at 17 and later divorced. Sukinah then married her present husband Japar, a local farmer. When Sukinah heard about Kendeng farmers’ movement against the cement plant, initiated by Print Woeloeng and Gunretno, she decided to take part.

Gunretno said he observed Sukinah’s potential when he tried to find farmers interested in the movement.

“She’s different from her peers. She has the ability to motivate people,” he said.

Sukinah showed her talent for leadership when the resistance group almost split in the early phases of its struggle.

“She managed to settle the Kendeng group’s internal dispute,” Gunretno said.

Sukinah handled hundreds of people in the movement, reconciling them and leading sound dialogue. However, shortly after Kendeng’s Kartini group carried out the foot-encasing action in April, Sukinah came close to losing the confidence of Kendeng residents, who started to question why there had been no response from the government.

It was Sukinah’s most difficult moment as she had sacrificed her time and property for the Kendeng Melawan (Kendeng resists) movement. When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo eventually sent a staff member to Kendeng, the residents regained confidence in the fight.

Gunretno said Sukinah was also tough in terms of activities in the field, as proven by her initiative on June 15, 2014, to convene a residents’ meeting at midnight. She gathered Kendeng women for her first action the next morning, when she erected a tent on the road leading to the cement plant.

Her move was intended as a peaceful protest, but other people carried out actions that will always be remembered by Kendeng Melawan members. They dispersed the Kartini Kendeng women by hurling two of their group members through the air. Sukinah said she and her peers could only cry and shudder.

She said one of the men in the group shouted out her name: “Where’s Sukinah? Where’s Sukinah?” — indicating that they had been informed of the group leader’s identity. Sukinah said she remained silent.

“I was crying as I watched our members being hurled. They also stamped on my feet. I felt pain,” she recalled.

The terror continued as the group besieged the women’s tent, forbidding the protesters from receiving food for the next 24 hours. However, the horror of the night failed to dampen their spirits. Sukinah became more convinced that her group had to spearhead a resistance effort.

“When I heard about the planned exploitation of Kendeng, I felt hurt. I imagined if my body was going to be exploited — how would it feel?” she said.

She said a Muslim scholar once told her that mountains formed supporting columns for the earth, so they must be preserved. She has since promised to defend the Kendeng mountain zone.

By the end of July, Sukinah’s struggle was proven fruitful. President Jokowi finally invited her to the State Palace. She wore batik for the occasion. “I put on my parang garuda batik clothes. This motif is only worn during wartime, meaning that I’m ready for combat,” she said.

Sukinah will keep struggling. Like gold, which requires effort to be shaped into a valuable product, her feet demand further struggles to remain strong. They are the feet of resistance.

— Photo by Lexy Rambadeta

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