InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA - In a meeting room at the Ministry of Defense, a serious discussion took place last Thursday. The Chairman of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Mokhammad Najih, accompanied by Ombudsman member Yeka Hedra Fatika, met with Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who also serves as the Chairman of the Forest Area Regulation Task Force. The main agenda was to discuss potential maladministration in resolving land overlaps between palm oil plantations and forest areas.
In his presentation, Yeka revealed that the Ombudsman found legal uncertainties regarding palm oil plantations that have obtained Land Rights (HAT) but still fall within forest areas. Additionally, the ambiguity in the implementation of the Decree (SK) Datin KLJK No. I-XXIV has worsened the situation. "There is potential maladministration in the form of procedural deviations and uncertainty in the implementation of forest area regulation. This not only impacts the economy but also has the potential to trigger legal issues," Yeka explained, as reported by InfoSAWIT from the official OmbudsmanRI website on Monday (March 17, 2025).
To address these issues, the Ombudsman provided several recommendations. First, to nurture existing palm oil plantations to be more sustainable. This step is expected to maintain job opportunities, allow the palm oil industry to continue to grow, and advance the downstream sector of plantations. Additionally, the creative industry based on palm oil can also develop further alongside improved supporting infrastructure.
Second, to strengthen the acceptance of plantation development funds through the strict implementation of Article 5 paragraph (1) of Government Regulation 24 of 2015 concerning the Collection of Plantation Funds. This fund is collected from export levies and contributions from plantation business actors. With stricter governance, the palm oil industry can become a pillar of sustainable green economy.
“A national institution capable of managing the palm oil industry in an integrated manner is needed to align with the achievement of ASTA CITA,” emphasized Yeka.
The meeting was also attended by several high-ranking officials, including the Head of BPKP Muhammad Yusuf Ateh, TNI Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Richard Tampubolon, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense Lt. Gen. Tri Budi Utomo, Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense Lt. Gen. Rui Duarte, as well as representatives from the Ombudsman RI such as Yustus Martubongs, Kusharyanto, and Miftah Firdaus. With these findings, concrete steps are expected to be taken to resolve the overlap of palm oil land and forest areas fairly and sustainably. (T2)
