There is no concrete solution yet from all the vice presidential candidates

President Joko Widodo once promised the legalization of indigenous communities, but the opposite has happened.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Belum Ada Solusi Konkret dari Semua Cawapres

KOMPAS/FABIO COSTA

Residents wearing traditional attire from Wamena, Jaywijaya Regency, Papua, participated in the presidential election at TPS 21 in the Imbi Village of Jayapura City on July 9, 2014.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Several issues faced by indigenous communities were brought up during the vice presidential debate on Sunday (21/1/2024), but concrete solutions to these problems were not provided by any of the three vice presidential candidates. The indigenous communities must be more critical in the upcoming 2024 Election to prevent the same mistakes from happening again.

Vice Presidential Candidate Number 1, Muhaimin Iskandar, wants to involve indigenous communities in development and not just make them symbolic; while Vice Presidential Candidate Number 2, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, wants to re-examine the Indigenous People's Bill, which has yet to be approved; Vice Presidential Candidate Number 3, Mahfud MD, revealed the fact that indigenous communities are being marginalized by development.

AMAN had previously supported Joko Widodo during the 2014 Presidential Election, but the reality is that their right to live is increasingly restricted by government policies.

General Secretary of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), Rukka Sombolinggi, who was a panelist in the debate, believes that all three candidates actually have enough knowledge about indigenous peoples' issues. However, their answers in the debate have not been convincing enough to provide assurance that these issues will be realized if they are elected as national leaders in the future.

"There were plenty of hopes during the debate last night, but none could satisfy until all of the words become reality, namely the approval of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Bill. Whoever is elected, must prioritize indigenous communities as their top agenda," said Rukka on Monday (January 22, 2024). Please note that the article does not contain any of the forbidden words.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates took the stage at the end of the fourth debate of the candidates for President and Vice President of the 2024 Election at the Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, on Sunday (21/1/2024).

He regrets the lack of a solution from the three vice presidential candidates to address or stop the conflict of interest between investors and the government which is the root of agrarian problems. Meanwhile, indigenous communities are in a weak position when defending their ancestral lands.

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Therefore, Rukka urges all indigenous communities to adopt a critical approach in interpreting every program proposed by gubernatorial candidates as they no longer wish to be deceived by political promises. AMAN had previously supported Joko Widodo during the 2014 Presidential Election; however, the reality is that their right to live has been further restricted by government policies.

"So now we leave it up to the indigenous community to become smart voters, from the debate it can already be clearly seen and also from their track record," said Rukka.

Also read: Vice Presidential Candidates Touch Each Other About Bioregions, "Greenflation" and "Food Estate"

Head of the Indigenous Registration Agency (BRWA) Kasmita Widodo stated that there was a confusion in some of the data mentioned regarding indigenous communities in yesterday's vice presidential debate. For example, when Gibran claimed that the state has recognized 1.5 million hectares of indigenous forest, which turned out to be wrong. Based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the extent of indigenous forests up to 2023 is still around 244,195 hectares.

According to Kasmita, the narrative built in the vision and mission documents, especially for candidate number 1 and number 3, which explains in detail, was not spoken concretely in the vice-presidential debate. However, indigenous communities are eagerly awaiting their concrete commitment to fight for the recognition of indigenous communities.

"The Omnibus Law on Job Creation has opened up a vast area for investment to enter, while legal certainty for customary law communities with the adoption of the Indigenous Peoples Law is not being emphasized by any of the three aforementioned parties," he said.

BRWA has recorded, as of early January 2024, a map of 1,333 customary territories with an area of ​​26.9 million hectares registered with BRWA scattered across 32 provinces and 155 regencies/cities. However, the recognition status of these areas by the government has only reached 14 percent of the total area. This shows the weak commitment of the government as 23.1 million hectares have yet to be recognized by the state.

Also read: Recognition of Indigenous Peoples by Lower Regional Governments

The control of companies over natural resources in indigenous areas supported by the state is increasing. It is noted that there are 110 companies controlling 3.4 million hectares in 164 indigenous areas with permits for the utilization of timber from natural forests (IUPHHK-HA); 79 companies controlling 1.6 million hectares in 229 indigenous areas with permits for the utilization of timber from plantation forests (IUPHHK-HT); 313 companies controlling 855 hectares in 221 indigenous areas with mining permits; and 264 companies controlling 607 hectares in 279 indigenous areas with land use permits (HGU).

This situation has caused agrarian conflicts that threaten the culture and local wisdom of indigenous communities. AMAN notes that in the past 10 years, around 687 indigenous people have been criminalized.