Jakarta \u2014 Deputy Chair of the People\u2019s Consultative Assembly (MPR)\nLestari Moerdijat has urged strengthening the existence of indigenous\ncommunities by promptly enacting the Indigenous Community Law Bill (RUU\nMHA) into law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe discussion of the RUU MHA has been ongoing for 16 years, yet an\nact has not yet been produced. The momentum of National Indigenous\nCommunities Day must become a driver for all parties to strengthen\ncommitment to recognising the existence of indigenous communities in our\ncountry,\u201d she stated in a press release in Jakarta on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Her remarks came in observance of National Indigenous Communities\nDay, which is commemorated every 13 March. According to Lestari, there\nis now no reason left to delay the discussion of the RUU MHA for it to\nbe made into law.<\/p>\n
\u201cData shows that 11.7 million hectares of indigenous territory has\nbeen lost, 162 indigenous people have been criminalised, and millions of\nhectares have been seized by corporations. This is not merely a\nstatistic; this is a humanitarian emergency,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
According to Rerie, the affectionate nickname for Lestari, indigenous\ncommunities are the last bulwark of forest conservation and the\nmaintenance of national food security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey protect forests and provide food without damaging nature, yet\nthey are frequently criminalised and stripped of their ancestral lands.\nThis situation cannot be allowed to continue,\u201d said Rerie.<\/p>\n
A member of Commission X of the House of Representatives, she hopes\nthat the inclusion of the RUU MHA in the 2026 National Legislative\nProgramme must be accompanied by concrete discussion steps.<\/p>\n
She hopes that discussions on the RUU MHA will produce robust legal\nprotection for the existence of indigenous communities in the\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Current data shows that 50-70 million indigenous people are dispersed\nthroughout Indonesia. The Indigenous Territory Registry Agency (BRWA)\nrecords the potential of mapped indigenous territories reaching 32.3\nmillion hectares.<\/p>\n
As of July 2025, the Indonesian government has only formally\nrecognised approximately 333,687 to nearly 400,000 hectares of\nindigenous forest.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 8.16 million hectares of indigenous territory overlap with\nmining and plantation concessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state must be present for all its citizens, including indigenous\ncommunities. This is a constitutional mandate. They have waited long\nenough. This year must be the year of recognition, not a year of\nprolonged waiting,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mpr-leadership-urges-acceleration-of-indigenous-community-law-bill-passage-1773456981", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }