Attorney General's Affirmation Regarding the Mafia "Sucking" Forest Wealth

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, as Vice Chair I of the Task Force for Forest Area Regulation (Satgas PKH), has affirmed that the state must not lose to mafias “sucking” Indonesia’s forest wealth.

“The state must not lose to mafias hungry to suck Indonesia’s forest wealth to enrich themselves,” he said during the Handover of Administrative Fines and State Financial Recovery as well as Re-possession of Forest Areas Phase VI at the Attorney General’s Office Building, Jakarta, on Friday.

The Attorney General explained that Indonesia has been blessed with significant strategic assets in the form of rich natural resources, a highly important geopolitical position, and a strong demographic bonus.

However, in the global economic architecture, Indonesia often remains in a less than optimal position.

“As a supplier of raw materials and a consumer market, while added value and strategic profits flow more to foreign countries,” he continued.

This situation, he said, indicates that the management of national resources has not fully maximised benefits for the people’s welfare.

Therefore, he stated, the state has a constitutional responsibility to realise social welfare through an active role in managing protection and national interests.

In this context, according to him, law enforcement cannot be understood merely as a repressive instrument, but must also be positioned as part of the state’s policy in realising social justice and community welfare.

Therefore, he emphasised that the law must be enforced and firm law enforcement is necessary within the framework of maintaining national stability, namely by taking action against parties that misuse state forest areas.

“We ensure that forests, as God’s gift, are a blessing owned by the Indonesian nation, must be managed and preserved for the people’s interests, not just for the interests of a handful of groups,” he said.

On Friday, Satgas PKH officially handed over money amounting to Rp11.4 trillion, from regulatory actions in the form of administrative fines and state financial recovery, to the state treasury.

In addition, Satgas PKH also handed over more than five million hectares of forest area land that has been successfully repossessed to the state.