Jakarta — On Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day, a coalition of civil society organisations, in a statement on Sunday, August 17, urged parliament to overhaul the 1999 Forestry Law (Law No. 41/1999), saying it perpetuates colonial-era land control and has failed to protect citizens’ rights.
The Civil Society Coalition for Forestry Law Reform criticised the closed-door process of revising the law, noting that most consultations have excluded public participation. Arif Adi Putro of the Indonesia Parliamentary Center said that two out of three discussions were held behind closed doors without any public documentation. “The legislation process is far from open,” he said, adding that the process was not even shared at the parliament YouTube channel.
The coalition warned that the current framework risks stripping indigenous peoples and local communities of their land, forests, and homes, which are often unilaterally claimed as state forest areas. Rendi Oman Gara of HuMa argued that the law entrenches a colonial mindset that treats the state as a “super landlord,” echoing Dutch-era policies that denied customary land rights.
Data from Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) shows that 65.26% of Indonesia’s land and waters are designated as state forests, often without transparent procedures. Between 2017 and 2023, deforestation averaged 2 million hectares annually, with further losses recorded in 2024, alongside devastating forest and peatland fires.
Dewi Kartika of the Consortium for Agrarian Reform (KPA) stressed that instead of liberating citizens, the law has excluded them from their primary source of livelihood. Activists from MADANI and HuMa added that weak oversight has fueled environmental destruction and agrarian conflicts.
Marking Independence Day, the coalition called for a complete overhaul of the forestry law to guarantee agrarian and ecological justice, recognise indigenous and local community rights, and ensure meaningful public participation in drafting any new legislation. (nsh)
Banner photo: Alexandre Laprise/Shutterstock
