Political reactions from below to Sime Darby land grab: Generational shift, geographical reach, rural influencers and multi-stakeholder alliance

The notion that rural residents affected by land grabbing are passive and merely victims have been dispelled by the growing body of literature on political reactions from below to land grabbing. However, whilst the efforts so far is commendable, gaps still exist in the literature. These include lack of engagements with the generational shift in those initiating reactions; reactions that extended beyond the borders of affected areas; evidence of the contentions from below framing issues and demands in the mist of experts; land grabbers being members of alliances formed to mitigate contentions from below. This paper fills the gaps in the literature on political reactions from below by arguing that in Senjeh District the reaction from below was led by young people; they took their contention beyond the district to the RSPO secretariat; their contention remained the agenda of the alliance formed with national and international experts to mitigate their issues and demands; and, that the land grabber was an active member of the alliance. •Generational shift in initiators of reaction to Sime Darby land grab.•Political reactions from Senjeh extended beyond the district and to the RSPO.•Rural residents from Senjeh District framed the issues and demands of the reaction.•Land grabber can be member of alliances formed to mitigate contentions from below.