Solidarity of the Common People (SORAK) - Indonesia
SORAK, an effort to unite twelve separate occupational groups of urban poor, was established in early 2000. Its purpose is to help support and give a voice to people - including becak (three-wheeled pedicab) drivers, pushcart sellers ("Kaki Lima"), market wagon pushers, and urban farmers - who have been systematically marginalised by government development policies. The specific aim is to cultivate a sense of mutual support and solidarity among groups traditionally susceptible to horizontal conflicts in the struggle for limited space and a piece of a very slim pie. A long-term goal is to involve people in the policies that directly impact their lives.
One representative from each of these twelve occupational groups is elected to SORAK. The representatives strive to act as mediators between policy makers and the grassroots organisations SORAK represents. Routine meetings and discussions are intended to help SORAK members develop their own perspectives on issues that directly affect their lives, and better understand the consequences of their actions and the actions of the government. One key message is that when political parties approach SORAK they have their own motives and agendas.
SORAK's specific substantive demands of the city government have been:
In addition to serving as mediators between policy makers and grassroots organisations, SORAK supports the latter by creating a common discourse, facilitating meetings, holding trainings, and leading advocacy campaigns.
In a specific outgrowth of SORAK activity, becak drivers have organised a union to advocate for their right to continue working. In informal gatherings, becak drivers discuss the confiscation of their vehicles by city officials and also analyze bigger issues, such as their right to earn a living and their relationship to government policies. Leaders of the organisation are chosen from within the ranks of the becak drivers by democratic vote. They have established regular meetings and membership fees, and have held peaceful demonstrations to voice their concerns as a group.
One representative from each of these twelve occupational groups is elected to SORAK. The representatives strive to act as mediators between policy makers and the grassroots organisations SORAK represents. Routine meetings and discussions are intended to help SORAK members develop their own perspectives on issues that directly affect their lives, and better understand the consequences of their actions and the actions of the government. One key message is that when political parties approach SORAK they have their own motives and agendas.
SORAK's specific substantive demands of the city government have been:
- lower prices for SEMBAKO (nine basic food products, from rice and oil to instant noodles)
- revoke any bans on becak operations
- increase the minimum wage, and
- form a special committee that represents society's many factions to investigate issues directly related to the lives of the urban poor.
In addition to serving as mediators between policy makers and grassroots organisations, SORAK supports the latter by creating a common discourse, facilitating meetings, holding trainings, and leading advocacy campaigns.
In a specific outgrowth of SORAK activity, becak drivers have organised a union to advocate for their right to continue working. In informal gatherings, becak drivers discuss the confiscation of their vehicles by city officials and also analyze bigger issues, such as their right to earn a living and their relationship to government policies. Leaders of the organisation are chosen from within the ranks of the becak drivers by democratic vote. They have established regular meetings and membership fees, and have held peaceful demonstrations to voice their concerns as a group.
Development Issues
Rights, Economic Development
Key Points
Several unions have grown out of the SORAK initiative, in light of the history of the voicelessness and powerlessness of Indonesian urban poor. Horizontal conflicts between groups of vendors and drivers often erupt in response to what many view as heavy-handedness on the part of the city government. For example, violent clashes between becak drivers and municipal workers in Jakarta - Indonesia's overcrowded and heavily polluted capital - were part of a heated debate about the city government's efforts to enforce a ban on becaks, which ply the roadways of most Indonesian cities and towns. The governor's office insisted that becaks were a source of the city's notorious traffic snarls. (In the 1960s, the nation's first president, Soekarno, said "Becaks are fundamentally inhumane, and represent a form of the exploitation of one human being over another.") But many who opposed the ban argued that the restrictive policy was created with no dialogue or consideration for how it would impact the lives of the "little people." The plan to enforce a ban on becaks in the capital city threatened the livelihoods of some 10,000 drivers.
Pushcart vendors have also organised a union. Meetings are convened every Saturday night, and members pay a monthly fee of about 10 cents for those with a stall and 5 cents for those without a stall. The fees are used to establish a cooperative that acts as an emergency fund for members when unforeseen needs arise, such as sickness or accidents. It also offers soft loans (loans made without the normal security demands placed on borrowers). Members become a part of a team that worked with the mayor's office to manage the security, sanitation and orderliness of the market area.
In the course of SORAK's work, the cart vendors' organisation, a group of urban farmers who were also in danger of losing their land, and a group of market wagon pushers all decided to band together and march on the local parliament building.
Pushcart vendors have also organised a union. Meetings are convened every Saturday night, and members pay a monthly fee of about 10 cents for those with a stall and 5 cents for those without a stall. The fees are used to establish a cooperative that acts as an emergency fund for members when unforeseen needs arise, such as sickness or accidents. It also offers soft loans (loans made without the normal security demands placed on borrowers). Members become a part of a team that worked with the mayor's office to manage the security, sanitation and orderliness of the market area.
In the course of SORAK's work, the cart vendors' organisation, a group of urban farmers who were also in danger of losing their land, and a group of market wagon pushers all decided to band together and march on the local parliament building.
Partners
Though SORAK is economically self-sufficient, subsisting nearly entirely on membership fees, local and national NGOs support SORAK's efforts (often in the form of moral support, access to office facilities, and training for members).
Sources
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