Lestari Moerdijat: Fulfilment of Disability Rights Requires Strong Commitment from All Stakeholders
Jakarta — Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People’s Representative Council (DPR RI), Lestari Moerdijat, emphasised that fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities requires a strong commitment from all stakeholders to realise the constitutional mandate. She spoke in response to the still low access of people with disabilities to higher education and the formal sector in Indonesia.
According to the National Disability Commission (KND), 38 disability-related bills are among the 67 priority bills in the 2026 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The bills cover crucial sectors such as elections, population administration, policing, and the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
Lestari, popularly known as Rerie, said policy drafting should not be merely a formality. “The fulfilment of the rights of persons with disabilities in social life must be pursued with full commitment, because laws and the constitution already mandate this,” she said in a written statement on Thursday (21 May).
She also highlighted data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) showing real inequality. Of 17.9 million people with disabilities in Indonesia, only 2.8% have completed higher education. In the economy, around 70% of persons with disabilities remain trapped in the informal sector, which is vulnerable and minimally protected.
The legislator from Central Java’s Electoral District II urged accelerated policy action at the local level through harmonised inclusive regional regulations (Perda) across provinces and regencies/cities. She also called for the active involvement of persons with disabilities in every policy discussion that affects them.
As a member of Commission X of the DPR, Rerie urged the central and regional governments, the private sector, and the public to collaborate in building an effective public service system. “Stakeholders and society must be able to build a protection system and public services that are effective for persons with disabilities, as part of realising our constitutional mandate,” she concluded.