Five Strategic Bills Under Discussion, DPR Urged to Involve the Public
Legal reform and national policy improvement must be oriented towards protecting the basic rights of the people and managing state resources in the public interest. Responding to the ongoing legislative dynamics, the People’s Advocacy Alliance for Nusantara (ARUN), together with the Indonesian Drivers’ Empowerment House (RBPI), student elements and school pupils, affirmed their commitment to fully oversee the deliberation of five strategic bills currently being processed in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).
The oversight was voiced through a demonstration in front of the DPR RI building on Thursday, 27 August 2026, at around 12.00 WIB. An estimated 1,000 participants from the Greater Jakarta area took part. Similar actions will be carried out by ARUN regional and branch boards by amplifying the statement of position affirmed by the ARUN central board’s secretary-general.
ARUN central board secretary-general Bungas T. Fernando Duling stated that this oversight is being carried out to ensure that the resulting legislation does not merely become a formal regulatory document, but is truly imbued with a spirit of just and civilised humanity in order to realise social justice for all Indonesian people.
“This step is also a concrete manifestation of the consistent protection and implementation of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, which mandates that the earth, water and natural resources are controlled by the state and used for the greatest possible prosperity of the people,” said Nando in a press statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (26/8).
This joint position was voiced by the ARUN central board together with RBPI, students and school pupils in Jakarta as an affirmation of the importance of legal substance oriented towards protecting the people in the five bills being deliberated in the DPR RI.
Nando stated that the five strategic bills are:
First, the Asset Forfeiture Bill, which is directed at strengthening efforts to recover state losses so that assets derived from corruption and economic crimes can be fully returned for public welfare while upholding the principles of the rule of law.
Second, the One Data Indonesia Bill, to realise an integrated, transparent and accurate national data system to prevent overlapping policies and ensure that social assistance and subsidies are accurately targeted.
Third, the Indigenous Peoples Bill, to provide legal certainty and recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples and their territories in order to prevent agrarian conflicts and arbitrary control of resources.
Fourth, the National Employment System Bill, to create justice and checks and balances between workers, business actors and the state, including guarantees of decent wages, occupational safety and social protection amid the current wave of digitalisation.
Fifth, the revision of the Agrarian Reform Bill, to structurally unravel inequality in land ownership and use so that agrarian resources have a fair social and economic function for farmers and ordinary people.
He stressed that the alliance, consisting of the ARUN central board, RBPI, students and school pupils, urges the DPR RI and the government not to turn the deliberation of the five strategic bills into a political commodity or to rush through regulations without public participation.
“Deliberation in parliament must be conducted openly and straightforwardly, based on strong academic studies, and involve workers, farmers, indigenous peoples, academics and all affected elements of society,” he said.
The alliance stated that it will continue to oversee every stage of the legislative process in the DPR RI until the enacted legal products truly reflect the constitutional mandate and deliver real justice for all Indonesian people.
ARUN, RBPI, students and school pupils stated that the bills currently being pushed with extraordinary enthusiasm by the public can only be realised in accordance with the nobility of people’s sovereignty through a path of just and civilised humanity.
“This means we must be civilised because we are ensuring the benefits of social justice for all Indonesian people,” he stressed.
The secretary-general also explained that the alliance did not appear suddenly, but was the result of a long journey of advocacy carried out together with students and school pupils.
“In Indonesian history, the Student Army of Indonesia is also known. This means that students in Indonesia bear the same burden as other components of society and student organisations,” Nando stressed.
On the same occasion, the chairperson of the Indonesian Drivers’ Empowerment House (RBPI), Ika Rostianti, stated that the alliance’s togetherness is an effort to ensure that the enactment of the five strategic bills can provide equitable benefits for all Indonesian people.
“This is our form of contribution in ensuring that the enactment of today’s legal products can be guaranteed to proceed in a civilised manner,” said Ika.