DPD RI DIY Urges Passage of the Customary Law Community Bill This Year

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) – The Regional Representative Council (DPD) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI), Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY), is urging the enactment of the Rancangan Undang-Undang (RUU) Masyarakat Hukum Adat this year or in 2027 to guarantee legal certainty for adat communities. The Deputy Speaker of the DPD RI from DIY, GKR Hemas, in Yogyakarta, said that the RUU Masyarakat Hukum Adat is part of five laws that have entered the National Legislative Program (Prolegnas). “We urge our adat communities, because we know there are many things that must be fought for,” said GKR Hemas when met at a discussion on the Urgency of the RUU Masyarakat Adat According to the Constitution and the Role of the DPD RI at the DPD RI Office in DIY, Saturday. As a DPD member, she continued, they also receive pressure and encouragement from various layers of society to pass the bill. “We have submitted all inputs to the government and DPR RI; the discussion in this session is to sharpen it,” she said. She hoped there would be acceleration in the completion of several RUU that have already entered Prolegnas for 2026-2027 because adat communities are part of Indonesia’s roots. “I see there is willingness from the DPR RI and the government to push through several pieces of legislation,” said Hemas. According to her, if the RUU Masyarakat Hukum Adat is officially enacted, one of the benefits would be to quell legal issues such as agrarian conflicts. The discussion was also attended by Deputy Chair of Constitutional Studies (Kajian Ketatanegaraan) (K3) of the MPR RI Ajiep Padindang, Representative of the Jogja Keraton GKR Mangkubumi, and indigenous rights activist Abdon Nababan. Ajiep Padindang, Deputy Chair of K3 MPR RI, said the discussion also aimed to listen to inputs or opinions from one of the adat communities, namely the Jogja Keraton, to strengthen the campaign so that the RUU can be completed by 2026 as it has entered the priority Prolegnas. “This is one of the struggles of adat communities to gain recognition, respect, and appreciation,” said Ajiep.