Jakarta – Environmentalists have warned the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka of the risks of environmental damage and violations of indigenous peoples’ rights amid intense narratives of economic equality and inclusive development.
Indonesia Climate Justice Literacy (ICJL) assesses that the first year of this regime has shown a strengthening of the extractive economy. “Behind the populist rhetoric about development, the government is actually preparing a policy scheme that is pushing us towards ecological suicide,” said Firdaus Cahyadi, Founder of ICJL, in his statement in Jakarta on Friday, October 17.
According to ICJL, one of the most controversial policies was the issuance of Government Regulation No. 39 of 2025 concerning Mining Business Permits (IUP), which grants cooperatives and community organisations the right to manage up to 2,500 hectares of mining land.
Firdaus believes that this policy actually expands the scope for exploitation of natural resources under the guise of a “people’s economy.” “This is not a move to support the common people, but rather a justification for mining expansion in the name of community organisations. This is a form of ecological suicide neatly packaged as a populist policy,” he said.
The misleading energy transition
ICJL also highlighted energy transition policies that are considered superficial. Through ESDM Regulation No. 10/2025, the government is promoting a biomass co-firing scheme in coal-fired power plants, which in turn creates high demand for biomass raw materials such as pellets and wood chips.
This situation, according to ICJL, encourages the massive expansion of Energy Plantation Forests (HTE), which has the potential to accelerate deforestation and trigger agrarian conflicts. “Research by the Sajogyo Institute shows that in Grobogan, Central Java, community land that is in the process of certification is actually being converted into energy crop areas,” said Firdaus. “Instead of being environmentally friendly, this policy creates a false energy transition.”
The shrinking of civil space and human rights violations
In addition to ecological impacts, ICJL also highlights the narrowing of civic space in the implementation of energy projects. Many projects claim to be environmentally friendly, but in practice, they exclude local community participation. “The case of the Pocoleok community in East Nusa Tenggara rejecting the PLTP project is clear evidence of a violation of the FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) principle,” said Firdaus.
ICJL also cited findings by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) in 2024 that revealed conflicts of interest in the renewable energy business. Many companies now operating in the green energy sector are long-standing entities in the coal mining sector and have close ties to the political elite.
“The energy transition in Indonesia risks becoming merely a rebranding of old businesses, rather than a transformation that promotes climate justice,” said Firdaus.
As Prabowo and Gibran enter their first year in office, ICJL calls for an immediate correction in the direction of development, moving away from an extractive economic model toward policies that are truly ecologically just.
“If the public remains silent, the political elite will continue to lead us toward ecological suicide. And in the end, it is the people who will become victims of a development model that destroys nature in the name of progress,” concluded Firdaus. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Forest Watch Indonesia
