The dawn is breaking

It is early in the morning, the most beautiful time of the day. Sarinah is on her way to the town. She has to walk the 20 km, there is no car, no carriage, or other means of transport. To the left and right of her are the green rice fields. Then the river with its clear water comes down from the hills. The white clouds are moving fast in the blue sky, waiting for the sunrise. Others are walking from the villages to the town. Women and men like Sarinah, passing the hills, mountains, forests and river.

Suddenly a woman from the same village as Sarinah asks her where she is going. "I am going to the Town. Do you have something important to do there?" "Of course. I have a meeting." "What kind of a meeting?" "A meeting of the peasants to discuss our next step in the land reform programme." Sarinah is not sure about it. What will it mean for us. Really I don't know..." "Wait until I come back from the town and then we will hold a meeting. We will invite all the women. Do you agree Fatimah?" "Of course, why shouldn't it be stupid for anybody to refuse."

The village in which the two women live is far from the town. There is no school, hospital, cinema, theatre, radio, electricity. Nothing except the vast rich soil, abundant with green vegetables and yellow rice. But the poor peasants who till this soil do not own it.

Once illiterate like many other peasant women, through her own diligence Sarinah can now read the newspapers, etc. She is in the leadership of the peasants' organisation and also in the women's movement. There is scarcely a village meeting without Sarinah. All the women respect her even the men, and also the head of the village.

It is a few days later and the promised meeting is in full swing. Sarinah is speaking. "The peasant women peasant women are happy to attend this meeting. We understand that it is being held to help us to own the land we work, and not those who exploit it. We accept the Agrarian Act which gives women the full right to own land and also to become the head of the family for the first time in history. We women have a great task to perform in helping to carry out the land reform program. We will do it in every possible way, with our own hands. We will help our women to understand and to work to make our struggle successful."

Some hours later, in the still of the night, many women are crowding into Sarinah's house. They are full of questions concerning the new Agrarian Act and the land reform programme. "Sarinah," Fatimah bursts out, "is it true that women like me have a right to possess land?" "How can that be?" others ask sternly. "And if it is true" brought up old women's fears about Mr. Abbas who has hundreds of acres of land? Does he want to give his land to us? Impossible! How can it be? Do you think it is possible, Sarinah? The landlord is not a small child. He will bury his hand in the sand. He inherited it. He has the right to it. It is impossible to think that ..." Slowly Fatimah said, "It can't be true, it's like a dream, now can we do it?"

And then Sarinah answered them. "My friends, don't worry about it so. Whether it's true or not, whether it becomes a reality or not depends on us, on our struggle. Of course the landlords will not voluntarily give up their land. We know they are aged and sick, struggling, so we must organize our people, our peasant women, those who understand that the land must only be distributed to those who work it, that this is necessary for the economy of our country, to bring progress and well-being to the people. 60% of the people are peasants, it will mean a new life for them."

For a long time it was silent.

Fatimah was the first to break it. "Sarinah I feel it is like the sunrise, that the dawn is breaking for the emancipation of the peasant women. We must do everything possible for it. We have a great task to carry out. Will you ask our leadership to tell our organisation to send people to the villages to educate the peasants?"

"You are right" answered Sarinah. "I will do all you want. I will go to the town to ask for advice in our struggle. And I know the leadership will come here too. Do you know that our organisation is now a member of the land reform committee?"

"Ah Sarinah, how nice it is, but I want to know a little more about the landlord," the old woman said. "When the land reform begins, then the landlord should give his land to the poor peasants like us?"

"Yes." "Then, the landlord will receive payment for this land from our government. But how much? How much?" "I don't know yet, but the government and parliament will discuss and decide it." "So that means" broke in another woman, "that we will not have to pay the landlord for the land?" Sarinah said Sarinah smiling, "we must pay the government." "We must pay immediately?" "No, we will pay after two or three harvests." "How kind," said the old woman, and then laughed, "but what about the interest?" "That is not our problem. They still have the maximum land, they have money, they have everything. But they must work for their land and not exploit other people."

Not to be denied, the old woman said, "there is one more thing I want to know. When hard times the poor people will have less land than the landlords?" "Our government will help them to get some more. They will also get some money from the cooperative's bank, after the first harvest they will pay back some of their credit. I think it is our duty to help our peasants."

The people throughout the entire country are now very busy carrying out the land reform programme. Even though it is not yet enough, it is a good beginning. The women are welcoming it with smiling faces. There are many women like Sarinah now, and the membership of the peasant women is growing every day. They believe that their struggle will result in great successes for a better life for the people, for the emancipation of women, particularly the peasant women.