{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1623021,
        "msgid": "indigenous-communities-push-for-enactment-of-indigenous-legal-communities-bill-in-hkman-commemoration-1773838308",
        "date": "2026-03-18 19:10:34",
        "title": "Indigenous Communities Push for Enactment of Indigenous Legal Communities Bill in HKMAN Commemoration",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "Indigenous leaders in Indonesia are urging the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of the Indigenous Legal Communities Bill (RUU MHA) during the commemoration of the Indigenous Peoples' Awakening Day (HKMAN), highlighting 16 years of advocacy to protect vulnerable communities from criminalisation and resource exploitation. HKMAN, observed annually since 1999, serves as a unifying platform for indigenous groups to assert their rights under constitutional and human rights frameworks, including safeguards for ancestral lands, forests, and water. The Forestry Minister has expressed readiness to collaborate on recognising customary forests, underscoring the bill's potential to provide comprehensive legal protections amid ongoing development pressures.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta (ANTARA) - Several indigenous community leaders are calling\non the House of Representatives (DPR RI) to accelerate the enactment of\nthe Indigenous Legal Communities Bill (RUU MHA) in a statement\ncommemorating the Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Awakening Day (HKMAN). In a\nstatement from the Coalition Monitoring the Indigenous Peoples Bill\nreceived in Jakarta on Wednesday, Abah Yoyo Yohenda, the Custodian of\nthe Cisitu Indigenous Unity in Lebak Regency, Banten, stated that HKMAN,\nobserved every 17 March, is not merely a celebration but a collective\nspirit of awakening for the indigenous peoples\u2019 movement. \u201cThe\nIndigenous Peoples\u2019 Awakening Day, commemorated since 17 March 1999,\nserves as a unifying platform and communication channel among indigenous\nactivists across the Archipelago. This is intended to determine the\nfuture stance towards the government regarding the implementation of\nBhinneka Tunggal Ika, not only in state legal provisions but also in the\nSecond Amendment to the Constitution in 2000, Article 2 letter B,\u201d he\nsaid. Abah Yoyo Yohenda added that HKMAN is also a moment to strengthen\nthe nation\u2019s commitment to uniting indigenous communities across the\nArchipelago, as regulated in Law No.\u00a039 of 1999 on Human Rights in\nArticles 6 paragraphs 1 and 2, and Law No.\u00a05 of 2017 on the Promotion of\nCulture. All of these represent recognition of indigenous communities in\nthe Archipelago. What is needed now is not just the administrative\ndeclaration of a day, but full protection from the seizure of natural\nresources through the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples Bill. In a\nsimilar statement, Romba\u2019 Marannu Sombolinggi, as the Acting Regional\nChairman of the Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN)\nToraya, described the HKMAN commemoration as a reminder that development\nmust not erase the rights of indigenous communities who have guarded\ntheir territories for generations. He referred to HKMAN as a reminder to\nrevive the values of indigenous sovereignty, to rise and defend land,\nforests, water, and the future of their generations. \u201cHKMAN reminds us\nof the 16-year struggle to push for the prompt enactment of the\nIndigenous Peoples Bill, which has had serious impacts on indigenous\ncommunities who are vulnerable to criminalisation, dependent on\nchangeable regional policies, thus making indigenous peoples victims and\ncriminalised on their own territories,\u201d Romba stated. HKMAN itself was\ninitiated on 17 March 1999 when hundreds of indigenous leaders met\nduring the Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Congress of the Archipelago (KMAN). From\nthat congress, AMAN was also formed. In a statement on its official\nsocial media posted on Wednesday, the Minister of Forestry (Menhut) Raja\nJuli Antoni extended congratulations on the HKMAN commemoration. \u201cWe\nfrom the Ministry of Forestry are ready to collaborate and work together\nto accelerate the process of designating customary forests,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indigenous-communities-push-for-enactment-of-indigenous-legal-communities-bill-in-hkman-commemoration-1773838308",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}