Indonesia's agrarian reform must address land inequality, not just certification

Indonesian officials and indigenous rights advocates are calling for a structural overhaul of the nation's agrarian reform agenda, arguing that it must move beyond mere land certification to address deep-seated inequality.

Lestari Moerdijat, Vice Chair of the MPR RI, emphasized that agrarian reform is a constitutional obligation to restructure imbalanced land ownership. She noted that while millions of land certificates have been issued, the redistribution of land from forest areas has only achieved 9.26% of its national target. Moerdijat expressed concern over the low rate of actual land redistribution and the rise in violence and criminalization related to agrarian conflicts.

Representing the Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), Yayan Hidayat urged that the upcoming Agrarian Reform Bill (RUU Reforma Agraria) focus on the recognition, restitution, and return of customary indigenous territories. AMAN argues that success should be measured by changing the power dynamics between the state, corporations, and local communities, rather than just administrative land legalization.