The Resistance Towards the Kedung Ombo Dam Construction of 1985-1991

Abstract

This article discusses the resistance of the Kedung Ombo locals towards the construction of Kedung Ombo Dam in Central Java. The construction of the dam, which was initially aimed at increasing the welfare of the people around the dam, turned into a massive resistance caused by the dissenting opinions between the government and the Kedung Ombo Dam locals. The repressive attitude of the government in enforcing their will to the locals, triggered an autonomy resistance from the locals. This issue then widely spreads and later on involves various figures outside of the government and the locals, such as social activists, NGOs, and college students. The researcher uses historical method in the writing of this article, which includes collecting literatures and news from the same era of the particular event to support this research. From this research, it can be seen that the resistance of the Kedung Ombo locals didn’t disrupt the dominance of Orde Baru governance. The researcher tries to complete previous researches by seeing the event chronologically, starting from the background and to the effects.