[Jakarta, September 9, 2020] The Civil Society Coalition for the Safeguarding of the Indigenous Peoples Bill (RUU Masyarakat Adat) has urged the Government and the House of Representatives (DPR RI) to immediately pass the bill. Government representatives—including the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries—expressed their support for accelerating the bill’s ratification during a public talk show themed #SahkanRUUMasyarakatAdat held on September 9, 2020.

Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary General of AMAN, emphasized that the Indigenous Peoples Bill is intended to bridge the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state, so that criminalization cases—such as that experienced by Effendy Buhing of Kinipan, Lamandau, for defending his traditional rights—will no longer occur.

“Especially during this pandemic, Indigenous peoples have proven their contribution to development,” said Rukka.

However, she noted that the current draft of the bill still falls short of expectations and has yet to fully address Indigenous peoples’ core concerns. “It is necessary to include clauses on restitution and rehabilitation to address past human rights violations, which could be implemented through a presidential or government regulation and managed by a permanent institution,” she added. “It is also crucial that the bill explicitly guarantees protection for Indigenous women.”

The government is obligated to respect, protect, and fulfill Indigenous peoples’ rights over their territories, citizenship status, governance systems, cultural identity and spirituality, development, environment, free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), and the rights of Indigenous women.

Likewise, the government must prevent forced evictions, protect Indigenous communities from land grabbing by corporations or state policies, and ensure formal recognition of their existence and rights.

Recognition of Indigenous peoples and their territories should not depend on the issuance of regional regulations (Perda). The recognition process must be simplified to ensure stronger protection.

Devi Anggraini, Chairperson of PEREMPUAN AMAN, stressed the importance of disaggregated data by ethnicity and gender to clearly identify Indigenous peoples. “The bill must also explicitly regulate the collective rights of Indigenous women,” she stated.

Dahniar Andriani, Director of HuMa Association, urged the government to revisit MPR Decree No. IX/2001 on Agrarian Reform and Natural Resource Management, which mandates the resolution of agrarian conflicts, including those involving Indigenous territories.

Abdon Nababan, Vice Chair of the National Council of AMAN, highlighted that Minister of Home Affairs Regulation No. 52/2014 was the result of cross-ministerial agreement facilitated by the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare at the time. “This regulation was designed to cut through high costs and complex political processes at the regional level—allowing recognition of Indigenous peoples and their territories through a Regent’s or Governor’s decree. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry should adhere to this agreement,” he said.

He further emphasized that the One Map Policy must incorporate Indigenous territory maps alongside other official maps. “With One Map Policy, all overlaps should be visible. Unfortunately, access to the policy is currently restricted to government officials. There is also no clarity yet on the designated Data Custodian (Wali Data) for Indigenous territories. The ratification of this bill can help clarify mapping mechanisms and data governance,” Abdon added.

To date, participatory mapping consolidated by the Indigenous Peoples’ Participatory Mapping Network (JKPP) has identified 11.1 million hectares of Indigenous territories, and these maps have been submitted to relevant ministries. The data are the result of participatory mapping carried out by Indigenous and local communities.

“This demonstrates that Indigenous peoples are genuinely committed to advancing the One Map Policy as a foundation for restructuring national development, which has long been marked by conflict, spatial overlap, and environmental degradation,” said Deny Rahadian, National Coordinator of JKPP.

Khalisah Khalid, Head of Political Desk at WALHI, added that the Ministry of ATR/BPN must uphold transparency by opening access to land-use concession (HGU) data in resolving agrarian conflicts in Indigenous territories and by returning customary lands taken by corporations.

For the recognition and protection of Indigenous peoples and their constitutional rights to be realized, the drafting and passage of the Indigenous Peoples Bill must become a priority for the DPR RI. The version proposed by the civil society coalition not only supports the legislative drafting process but also strengthens democratic participation in lawmaking.

“Delaying the ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Bill means the state has failed to protect Indigenous peoples. The government must honor customary values in governing the nation,” said Laode M. Syarif, Executive Director of the Partnership for Governance Reform (Kemitraan).

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The Civil Society Coalition for the Indigenous Peoples Bill consists of 30 organizations, including AMAN, BRWA, Debtwatch Indonesia, Epistema, HuMa, ICEL, JKPP, Kalyanamitra, KIARA, Kemitraan, Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria, Lakpesdam, Yayasan Madani Berkelanjutan, Lokataru, PEREMPUAN AMAN, WALHI, YLBHI, and others.

Media Contacts:

• Luluk Uliyah – +62 815 1986 8887

• Muntaza – +62 822 1325 6387

• Edo Rahman – +62 813 5620 8763