Jakarta, October 20, 2015. Today marks one year since President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) led Indonesia. In this one year of Jokowi’s administration, the HuMa Association is demanding the government to promptly declare customary forests.

“One of President Jokowi’s promises is to bring the state into resolving community issues, including indigenous communities,” said Dahniar Andriani, Executive Coordinator of the HuMa Association, “And one of the issues faced by indigenous communities is the declaration of customary forests which are their source of livelihood.”

According to Dahniar, the demand for the declaration of customary forests by the HuMa Association is not exaggerated. This is because, in addition to being based on President Jokowi’s promise to involve the state in community issues, in early October (10/6), the Minister of Environment and Forestry has committed to declare customary forests this year.

“In her meeting with HuMa, Ms. Siti Nurbaya, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, clearly and firmly expressed her support for the declaration of customary forests in Wana Posangke, Marga Serampas, and Kasepuhan Karang,” explained Dahniar, “This is because in locations managed sustainably by indigenous communities, forest fires do not occur.”

Furthermore, according to Dahniar, the year 2015 is coming to an end soon, but the signs of declaring customary forests as promised by the government have not yet shown any progress. “The expectations of indigenous communities for the state to declare customary forests should continue to be nurtured,” Dahniar emphasized, “We must not subject indigenous communities to empty political commitments again.”

Therefore, Dahniar continued, in this one-year milestone of Jokowi’s administration, HuMa and its partners will demand the government’s promise regarding the process of declaring customary forests. “We must not have the declaration of customary forests stalled or even regressed in Jokowi’s one-year administration,” she explained, “Nevertheless, the declaration of customary forests is the right of indigenous communities, and fulfilling their rights as citizens is a legal obligation, not something transactional.”

HuMa noted that by 2014, there were 60 natural resource and agrarian conflicts involving indigenous communities. At least 274 human rights, consisting of socio-ecological rights in general, civil and political rights for individuals, the right to life, and property rights, have been violated and have yet to be restored to this day. “However, Jokowi has committed to fully implement the mandate of MPR Decree No. IX/2001 and resolve agrarian conflicts that have been ongoing. Yet, the fulfillment of these commitments has not shown significant progress in his one year in office,” Dahniar continued.

Meanwhile, Constitutional Court Decision 35, which redefined customary forests to no longer be within state forests, has been in effect for 2.5 years. Following this decision, various ministerial-level policies issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, the Ministry of Villages, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, only serve as cosmetic measures without tangible results.

“We feel an extraordinary tug-of-war in assisting 13 indigenous communities who continue to fight for the declaration of their customary forests. Therefore, in this one year of the administration, we question the seriousness of the Jokowi-JK Administration’s commitment to uphold the constitution and fulfill the promises made, especially to indigenous communities,” she emphasized.

 

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