By: Ari Wibowo
Researcher at Prakarsa. He is also currently active at IPB University as Head of the Knowledge Management Information Systems Unit at the Center for Agrarian Studies, and Assistant to the Division of Population, Agrarian Studies, and Political Ecology (KAREP) in the Department of Communication Science and Community Development, Faculty of Human Ecology.
The Pati people's movement teaches us about civic nationalism. Nationalism born of courage to fight injustice.
News Summary
- The Pati residents' movement is an anomaly amidst the increasingly fading spirit of Reformation.
- The demonstration by Pati residents was born from authentic solidarity between villages.
- The fuel of the Pati people's movement is simple: a sense of justice and humanity that has been hurt.
Public concern over the impact of national development over the past decade and a half seems to have become a small ember that never quite ignites. Socioeconomic disparities are widening, living space is being seized, and agrarian conflicts are becoming more structural.
Human rights and environmental defenders have been silenced, the law has been used as a political tool, and democracy has been narrowed. Yet, none of this has yet to translate into a wave of resistance capable of shaking the national political order.
The spirit of the 1998 Reformation is fading, being overtaken by its own children.
From the midst of that lethargy Pati, a city on the north coast of Central Java, has become an anomaly. Its residents have taken to the streets in droves, protesting the Regent's policies. Sudewo which increases land and building tax (PBB) by up to 250 percent.
Although their movement had faded, in early September, hundreds of Pati residents descended on the capital. They demonstrated, demanding that the Corruption Eradication Commission investigate alleged corruption committed by the governor. Regent.
The protests weren't driven by political parties, community organizations, or non-governmental organizations, but rather arose from authentic solidarity between villages. A rare movement in this era of increasingly controlled democracy. "Why did the people of Pati emerge so massively? Is this a new embryo?" People Power?” many social movement activists wonder.
The Essence of People Power
In classical literature, People Power It is the peak of citizen participation when official channels no longer function. Victoria A. Bautista (1986), in her article "People Power as a Form of Citizen Participation," described it as a guarantee that the will of the people will be realized even if formal channels are closed. In the Philippines in 1986, mass barricades on EDSA toppled Ferdinand Marcos. In Indonesia, the 1998 Reformasi movement toppled Suharto.
However, in Pati, the people weren't seeking to overthrow the national regime. They were simply demanding that local leaders be held accountable for their constitutional mandate. This resistance grew organically, without the patronage of prominent figures or the machinations of political parties. Its strength stemmed from solidarity among villagers who felt stifled by unfair policies.
This phenomenon serves as a reminder that true people power doesn't require a grand stage or elite command. Its fuel is simple: a sense of justice and wounded humanity.
The people of Pati's resistance to taxes is nothing new. The region's long history shows a recurring pattern. Since the 16th century, they have refused to be used as a cash cow by the rulers. During the Demak Kingdom, a 30 percent increase in agricultural taxes sparked protests among the people of Tombronegoro. When the Pajang Kingdom raised taxes again to 20 percent, many farmers chose to flee.
In the 17th century, the Mataram Sultanate under Sultan Agung and Amangkurat I imposed a rice tribute of up to 50 percent. This policy led Dukes Pragola II and III to lead a major rebellion that shook the center of power.
When the VOC arrived, stifling trade duties and port taxes implicated the people of Pati in the Chinatown Uprising. In the modern colonial era, the land tax burden imposed by Daendels and Raffles, which reached 30 percent of the harvest, became even more oppressive. The Cultivation Period added to the suffering: the tax burden could be equivalent to two-thirds of the harvest.
However, the people of Pati still chose to resist, even if it meant passive means like striking. This anti-extractionist spirit reached its most radical form in the late 19th century through the Saminism movement. Spearheaded by Samin Surosentiko, the Samin people refused to pay colonial taxes with a non-cooperative attitude. Taxes, for them, symbolized the seizure of land rights.
History shows one common thread: tax can be a strong social contract if it is fair and transparent, but can become a trigger for resistance if it is arbitrary.
Taxes and the Colonial Mentality
To this day, the legacy of the colonial tax system still haunts Indonesia. A coercive and extractive mentality remains dominant. The state is positioned as an entity entitled to take from the people, while the people are obligated to give. This logic is not much different from culture Dutch era.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati once called taxes an "instrument of mutual cooperation" whose spirituality is equivalent to zakat. This statement has drawn criticism. Taxes are, in essence, a civil obligation based on a social contract between the state and its citizens.
Taxes require legitimacy based on transparency and accountability. Comparing them to zakat, which is based on sincerity and a vertical relationship with God, actually undermines the people's right to demand accountability from the state.
The increase in property tax (PBB) in Pati cannot be separated from national budget policy. The Rp 50 trillion cut in regional transfer funds in the 2025 State Budget (APBN) and the planned 31 percent cut—approximately Rp 270 trillion—in the 2026 Draft APBN have forced local governments to seek new revenue sources. The most immediate solution is to raise taxes.
But the people finally refused to remain silent. Silence didn't mean agreement, but rather waiting for the right moment. Pati demonstrated that an explosion could occur at any time. The sparks of resistance even spread to other areas, such as Jombang, Cirebon, and Bone.
Unfortunately, the legislative oversight function is often blunted. Both the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) remain silent. The silence of critical voices regarding the correlation between central budget cuts and the suffering of the people in the regions signals the demise of political representation. People are left to fend for themselves, only to be heard when violence erupts.
Ultimately, the resistance of the people of Pati was not just about increasing land and building taxes. It was a form of nationalism and love for the homeland, manifested in the courage to fight injustice—even when that injustice came from the government itself.
The Pati people's movement is an example nationalism Citizens, not state-style nationalism. This nationalism is born from the courage to fight injustice, even when that injustice comes from leaders. This nationalism teaches us that defending the country sometimes means opposing the policies of the state and its rulers.
The Pati Movement is a warning bell that true people power still exists and could explode at any time.
Sumber: Tempo.co