Advocates in Indonesia push for Indigenous rights bill

Civil society advocates representing more than 2,000 customary communities in Indonesia have initiated last-ditch legal challenges over parliament’s failure to pass an Indigenous rights bill during the 10-year administration of President Joko Widodo. [ . . . ] At issue is a campaign dating back to the fall of strongman president Suharto in 1998 to enact legislation enshrining customary rights across the archipelago. Indigenous peoples’ advocates refer to Article 18B of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, which reads: “The state recognizes and respects traditional communities along with their traditional customary rights as long as these remain in existence and are in accordance with the societal development and the principles of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and shall be regulated by law.” Successive governments have pledged to resolve the matter. A draft Indigenous rights bill has been placed on the list of national priority legislation every year since 2014, but never passed.
Read the full article here: Mongabay