Titiek Soeharto Questions Forestry Ministerial Regulation Signed While Raja Juli Was Abroad

Chair of Commission IV of the House of Representatives (DPR), Titiek Soeharto, has questioned the validity of Forestry Ministerial Regulation (Permenhut) Number 9 of 2026, which was signed on 13 July, just two days after Minister Raja Juli Antoni departed for an overseas working visit. The regulation concerns the Organisation and Working Procedures of the Ministry of Forestry, amending Permenhut Number 1 of 2024. Titiek deemed the issuance of the ministerial regulation reckless because it occurred while the minister was not on duty domestically. “Why is this ministry so careless? The minister left on the 11th [of July], how could he sign a ministerial regulation on the 13th of July? How can that be?” Titiek said. The statement was made by the daughter of Indonesia’s second president, Soeharto, during a working meeting attended by Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki at the parliamentary complex on Tuesday (14/7). Titiek argued that such an action could implicate the minister himself, especially since the signature in question was a wet signature that should have been signed in person. “This violates the rules. A wet signature, moreover, just try to examine it again, how could that happen,” Titiek said. Responding to this, Ministry of Forestry Secretary-General Mahfudz explained that the signing was carried out via an electronic signature through the Ministry of Law’s system. Mahfudz also emphasised that the ministerial regulation had not yet been officially promulgated. “So, the system here shows it has not been promulgated,” Mahfudz said. However, Mahfudz’s statement immediately drew a sharp response from a Commission IV member attending the meeting. The member, who was not shown on the online broadcast of the meeting, displayed a document on screen showing the promulgation date and a state gazette number, 468. “Please read it, State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia Year 2026 Number 468,” the member said.