Legislators sign off on forestry bill

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives finally approved on Tuesday the government-sponsored forestry bill without major changes despite controversy during its deliberation.

Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said he was relieved that the bill, which will replace the 1967 Forestry Law, was passed earlier than scheduled.

He acknowledged that the bill, which is subject to the President's approval before it can become law, was not flawless and would be open for revision in the future.

The bill underwent several revisions before it was submitted to the House, he said, adding that the one deliberated by legislatures was the 18th forestry draft law prepared by the government since April.

The bill, which was submitted to the House on July 19, was scheduled for approval by the end of September.

Non-governmental organizations and environmentalists have objected to the bill, saying it fails to outline local tribes' rights in managing the forest. They insisted that the government officially recognize local tribes' areas of forest as "folk forest".

Muslimin argued that the new law, unlike its predecessor, recognized the existence of local tribes and their rights in managing the forest under the say-so of local administrations.

"Folk forest is public forest where private laws can't be endorsed, so the new law puts it under civil law. The enactment of the law will strengthen the tribes' rights and simplify the management of the forests," Muslimin after the plenary session.

The law also allows greater participation from cooperatives and local companies to benefit from the country's forest resources.

Head of House Commission III Umbu Mehang Kunda said the new law would change the country's perspective in its forest management from a "timber management" approach to "forest management".

He added that it provided decentralized autonomy, giving local administrations greater autonomy in forest management and leaving the central government as the arranger of the strategic and macro policies on forestry management. (01)