Uli Arta Walhi: Economic Disaster Sumatra Flood, Company Must Be Responsible

JAKARTA - The manager of the National Walhi Forest and Gardens Campaign, Uli Arta Siagian, said that the ecological conditions of nature in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra continue to decline in function and quality. This has triggered flash floods and landslides in the three provinces since last November 26. "This is in line with the expansion of the issuance of very massive permits by state administrators through the relevant ministry," Uli said during a conversation with Eddy Wijaya on the EdShareOn podcast which aired on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

As of December 10, 2025, it was recorded that 969 people died and 252 people were missing due to the Sumatra flood disaster. The magnitude of the disaster has damaged infrastructure in three provinces, ranging from national roads, agricultural land, houses, schools, health facilities, bridges, irrigation canals, to electricity. One million residents are also expected to evacuate due to this disaster.

Walhi considers what happens in Sumatra is an ecological disaster, not a natural disaster. Learning from the handling of the Lumpur Lapindo case, if it is designated as a natural disaster, corporations are not responsible for the damage caused by them. However, if the status is an ecological disaster, the cause of the damage must be responsible for restoring it.

As for the Sumatra flood, it was triggered by massive deforestation as an effect of extractive industrial activity. This disaster occurred due to the loss of forest area function, "said Uli. During 2016-2024, Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra lost 1.4 million hectares of forest cover. This deforestation occurred after the government granted 631 permits to the company, or 637 permits if coupled with a water power plant permit. The permit is very massive, and applies in the Bukit Barisan mountains which are upstream of the Watershed.

Although the damage caused by disasters is getting bigger, until now there has been no sympathetic attitude from the hundreds of corporations operating there, let alone their contribution in handling Sumatra floods. I don't see the good faith of the company. Even though they are non-state actors who receive the greatest benefit from exploitation of nature," said Uli. (ADV)

He considers corporations to be 'off-handed' because the state does not dare to force them to take responsibility for post-disaster recovery. Or it could be, because there are corporate elements who have strong relationships with the authorities. If we check, 60-70 percent of our legislative and ministerial members are businessmen. This relationship makes them reluctant to enforce the law.

Uli said that the three ministers must be responsible for the damage that occurred in Sumatra. Namely the Minister of Forestry as the party that issued forestry sector permits (PBPH) and changes in regional functions, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency which issued HGU for oil palm plantations, as well as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources that issued mining permits.

Permanent Moratorium Needed To Prevent Deforestation

The National Walhi Forest and Gardens Campaign Manager, Uli Arta Siagian, considers the permit related to land deforestation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra to be out of control. ecological damage due to extractive and concession activities in the Bukit Barisan area was one of the causes of flash floods and landslides in Sumatra at the end of last November.

Therefore Walhi recommends that the government establish a permanent permit moratorium while improving existing governance. "Only with that can we reduce the exploitation of forests and the risk of corruption. Don't issue new permits, and use monitoring technology like in Brazil (real time satellite)," he told Eddy Wijaya on the EdShareOn podcast.

Apart from the moratorium, Walhi also considered the need for environmental audits and a thorough evaluation of licensing. This is an important first step to prevent more massive damage. If there are corporations that legally operate in important areas such as forests, peat, and coastal areas that have the potential to damage, then the permit must be revoked.

Likewise, corporations operating on land that exceed the permit must be dealt with firmly. On the other hand, the government must also dare to hold the corporation accountable for the ecological damage that occurred. Moreover, the potential loss due to the flood disaster in Sumatra reached trillions of rupiah.

external costs such as environmental impacts were never calculated when the government issued permits. (Meanwhile, state revenue from the extractive sector may not be comparable to the costs that the state has to pay to deal with its disaster," said Uli. Based on data from the 2017-2022 National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the state budget for disasters reached Rp. 101 trillion.

Walhi himself has reported to the Attorney General's Office regarding the potential state losses in a number of regions in Indonesia due to ecological disasters, which amounted to nearly Rp300 trillion. "We hope that this criticism will lead to political "punishment": no longer choosing people who politicize disasters, in the 2029 election later," he said.

Who Is Eddy Wijaya Really, Here's The Profile

The figure of Eddy Wijaya is a podcaster who was born on August 17, 1972. Through the YouTube account @EdShareOn, Eddy interviewed many national figures ranging from state officials, legal experts, political experts, national politicians, to Indonesian celebrities. The man with the characteristic dimple of the right cheek is also a nationalist who is an activist in the struggle of the discriminated and social observers by helping the community through the Wijaya Peduli Bangsa foundation. He is also active in the field of sports by serving as the Daily Chair of the Indonesian Horseed Sports Association (Pordasi) Pacu and has also served as Deputy Chairperson of the All-Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) East Jakarta. Eddy also served as the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Social Association Marga Chinese, for the 2022-2026 term of service. His ideas were formed because of his hard work to be independent from the age of 13 years until his success as he is now. For Eddy, the world of work is not as smooth as imagined, failure and rejection are commonplace. This is what makes him hold fast to the tagline Succe is only a matter of time'.