The issuance of Tap MPR IX/2001 was motivated by the imbalance in land ownership, agrarian conflicts, and environmental damage which became a reference for the government and parliament in addressing fundamental agrarian/natural resources and environmental issues. However, 18 years after its establishment, the tangled and complicated agrarian issues and natural resources management, one of the main culprits being sectoralism, are still difficult to unravel.

President Jokowi, in the Nawacita 1 document, stated that he would protect and advance the rights of indigenous communities by implementing Tap MPR IX/2001 regarding PAPSDA. Unfortunately, this political promise has not been fulfilled. Until today, we can assess that the agrarian reform agenda is not being properly executed. The outdated sectoral paradigm and sectoral egos within each institution, sticking to sectoral natural resources policies, significantly contribute to the stagnation in implementing this Tap MPR mandate. This issue is not only present within the government but also among DPR members who create laws. Instead of upholding the principles and spirit of Tap MPR, the DPR is fast-tracking bills that contradict this mandate, such as the Land Law and Water Resources Law. The Indigenous Peoples Bill, expected to be a shield for the protection and fulfillment of indigenous peoples’ rights, is at a standstill.

For civil society, this transitional period is a crucial moment to remind future governments to implement the Tap MPR IX/2001 mandate. This includes ensuring that future governments break the cycle of agrarian and natural resources sectoralism in their management and in the institutions to be formed by the President.

On September 12, 2019, at Hotel Akmani Jakarta, the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), the Association for Community and Ecological-Based Legal Reform (HuMa), Young Indonesian Foresters (RMI), and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) jointly organized a public discussion with the theme: “Quo Vadis Mandate Tap MPR IX/2001, Future of Legal Reform in Natural Resources and Environment Management”.

This public discussion aims to: (1) Strengthen civil society consolidation to reiterate the legal reform agenda to accelerate the legal reform and natural resources management agenda (PAPSDA), (2) Address the challenges in implementing the Tap MPR IX/2001 mandate regarding PA PSDA, especially for the upcoming government, and urge future governments to fulfill the Tap MPR IX/2001 mandate, and (3) Discuss institutions for agrarian and natural resources management that can break the sectoralism traits in policies and institutions.

The speakers present at the event included: (1) Prof. Maria Sri Wulan Sumardjono (Professor at the Faculty of Law, UGM), (2) Abdon Nababan (Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago-AMAN), (3) Abetnego Tarigan (Presidential Staff Office-KSP), (4) Prof. Hariadi Kartodihardjo (Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, IPB), and (5) Dewi Kartika (Secretary-General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium). The discussion session was moderated by Nur Hidayati (National Executive Director of WALHI).

 

The notes from the public discussion and speaker presentations can be downloaded here.

For more publications, visit the HuMa publication portal.