FWK Appreciates the Cancellation of 28 Company Permits, Demanding Enforcement of Environmental Law

JAKARTA - The National Journalists Forum (FWK) appreciates President Prabowo Subianto's step in revoking the licenses of 28 companies that have been proven to violate forest area utilization rules. However, FWK emphasized that this policy must be proven by firm enforcement of the law so that it does not stop as a political symbol.

This attitude was conveyed in a discussion of FWK in Tebet, Jakarta, Wednesday (21/1/2026). FWK Coordinator Raja Parlindungan Pane assessed that the revocation of the permit must be followed by a thorough legal process and the obligation to restore the environment. "The law on forest destruction is very heavy to have a deterrent effect and restore public confidence," he said.

FWK highlighted the impact of forest encroachment in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Illegal logging and illegal mining practices are considered to be the trigger for ecological disasters that harm the community. The findings of logs that were washed away during the disaster in Sumatra were said to be evidence of weak supervision and law enforcement in the upstream river area.

The participants of the discussion agreed that consistency in law enforcement is the key to ensuring that the policy of revoking permits is not merely "lip service". Present in the discussion were senior journalists M. Nasir, Budi Nugraha, Iqbal Irsyad, Herry Sinamarata, Berman Nainggolan, Krista Riyanto, and Sarwani from the Ekuin PWI Central Department.

"Damaged forest areas must be restored. That is the responsibility of the violating company, not the state. FWK believes that the frozen permits should not be transferred to other SOEs or private companies," said Raja Pane.

Previously, Secretary of State Prasetyo Hadi stated that the revocation of permits covered an area of around 1,010,592 hectares. FWK assessed that this figure confirms the magnitude of the damage that must be legally accounted for.

FWK also supports the agenda for sustainable development conveyed by President Prabowo at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with one note: economic growth should not be paid for by environmental destruction.