Moment Prabowo Searches for Forestry Minister, Asks About Timber Cutting Permits

President Prabowo Subianto revealed that Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has not issued any timber harvesting permits since assuming office. He stated that after checks over 1.5 years under the Red and White Cabinet government, no PBPH permits have been issued. “In the forests, I checked, I checked the forestry minister, alhamdulillah, this forestry minister is okay too, he hasn’t given permission to cut timber,” said Prabowo at the Working Meeting of the Red and White Cabinet Members Government at the Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4/2026). Prabowo even mentioned that Raja Juli was beaming when he gave that praise. “Where is the forestry minister? You, the forestry minister, wow, he is beaming. I didn’t ask what party you are from,” said Prabowo. Late last year, Raja Juli also emphasised that he has never issued a single permit for logging in forest areas during his tenure in President Prabowo Subianto’s government. He affirmed that instead, his side revoked 22 PBPH permits with a total area of 1,012,016 hectares. Of that amount, around 116,168 hectares are in the Sumatra region. With the revocation, over the past year, the government has regulated problematic PBPH covering approximately 1.5 million hectares. Previously, in February 2025, Raja Juli stated that the Forestry Ministry had revoked 18 PBPH covering around 500,000 hectares.