Jakarta, Ekuatorial – After several delays, indigenous people representatives finally met with President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo who reiterated his pledges to solve their problems, especially on land conflicts and discrimination, in the palace, on Thursday (25/6).
“It was a very remarkable meeting because the President welcomes all of AMAN’s [People’s Alliance of the Archipelago] ideas and actions to establish a reconciliation process between indigenous people and the state,” said AMAN’s secretary general, Abdon Nababan, in a press conference after the meeting which also attended by Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto and Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya.
From the meeting, Nababan said that President Jokowi had agreed to all of their crucial points and promised to speed up the process.
“We underline that his development plans, starting from infrastructure, food and energy security, even on his goal on becoming a maritime power would not be successful,” he said. “Why? Because, it takes up customary lands. He [President Jokowi] would eventually become too overwhelmed and busy dealing with conflicts. “
In Kalimantan alone, at least 800 cases were related to indigenous peoples.
So, the solution was, he argued, to include all indigenous people in the state development planning, in particular through Medium Term Development Plan or RPJMN.
Furthermore, he said that the meeting was positive as the president restated his promises on several agenda, including to immediately process the Bill on Recognition and Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to release 166 indigenous peoples who were being criminalized for protecting their lands.
In addition, President Jokowi also confirmed on issuing two presidential decrees related to indigenous peoples’ issues.
“He will be issuing an Inpres [Presidential Instruction] to implement MK55 [Constitutional Court decision on registration process for indigenous peoples and their customary lands in 2010] and MK35 [Constitutional Court decision which excludes customary lands as state forest,” he said.
He also said that President Jokowi had agreed to issue a Keppres on Task Force on Indigenous People which he had hoped can be immediately signed by August, in conjunction with AMAN’s World Indigenous People Celebration to be held in Bali.
“We have been pushing for this Satgas because they are the ones formulating on the president’s promises. Satgas is only a transition, to set up the mechanism for national reconciliation. It will only work for at least two years,” he said.
Gunarti, one of indigenous people’s representatives from Sukolilo village, Pati, Central Java, said that public officials, may that be president, governor, head of district were appointed as people’s representatives to manage people.
“So, if they want to make regulations, then they need to consult [with people]. All these overlapping regulations have been nothing but burden for people,” said Gunarti whose village has been fighting giant cement companies from destroying their forest area in Mount Kendeng for nearly a decade.
She argued that agriculture that fulfilled people’s lives not industry, especially mining.
“Yes, one generation [can benefit from mining] but next generation only inherits [environment] damages. However, we are alive because of agriculture,” she said reminding that Central Java has been considered as National Food Estate. “If we don’t protect what we have right now, it indirectly means that we are being occupied by industry. As proof, East and West Java have been damaged by industries. They [industries] are killing us slowly, throwing us out slowly.”
Furthermore, she said that President Jokowi had promised to come to her village to see for himself on the condition. “He was misinformed earlier by another communities claiming that we all agree with the mining. So, he thought nothing wrong, “she said. “However, he did instruct [his aides] to visit the area again. That’s a positive signal that he wants to see in person and that he disagrees on what is going on.” Fidelis E. Satriastanti
