'Don't Let Us Be Called APH', Aceh Tamiang Regent Requests Menhut 'Fatwa' on Drifting Wood

Aceh Tamiang Regent Armia Pahmi (YouTube screenshot of the Indonesian House of Representatives)

ACEH - Aceh Tamiang Regent Armia Pahmi asked for confirmation from the Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni regarding the legal status of logs that were swept away by flash floods in his area.

The affirmation is considered important so that the use of wood by the community for the needs of house construction does not cause legal problems later.

This request was conveyed by Armia in a coordination meeting of the Sumatra Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force held by the leadership of the Indonesian House of Representatives in Aceh, Tuesday, December 30.

During the meeting, Armia reported on the condition of Aceh Tamiang which was severely affected by flash floods and landslides. He said that as many as 12 sub-districts with 216 villages were completely paralyzed due to the impact of floods and mud piles.

"Please allow us to report on the developments in Aceh Tamiang. A total of 12 sub-districts with 216 villages are all affected by flash floods and are paralyzed, both in terms of government, TNI-Polri, and the economy," said Armia in a meeting broadcast through the official channel of the DPR RI.

He said that for the past month, the local government together with the TNI and Polri has continued to carry out post-disaster recovery efforts. Currently, around 3,385 TNI personnel and 877 Polri personnel have been deployed to help handle mud to affected villages.

"We are assisted by BNPB, TNI, and Polri. Everyone is working hard to clean up the mud to the villages because this is what causes the paralysis of the community's economy," said Armia.

Armia targets the capital city area to be completely free of mud within about a week. As of Monday (29/12), he claimed that about 80 percent of the mud in the city center had been successfully cleaned.

"Alhamdulillah, about 80 percent of the mud around the district capital can be cleaned. The remaining 20 percent is because there are still ditches covered with solid mud. God willing, it can be completed in two days," he said.

In addition to handling mud, Armia also reported the process of cleaning the wood pile in the Pesantren Darul Mukholisin area. He said that about 85 percent of the floating wood had been successfully transported and removed to the riverbanks.

"We have removed the big trees and we have piled them up on the banks of the river," he said.

On that occasion, Armia specifically asked for directions and decisions from the Minister of Forestry regarding the use of the logwood, whether it could be used as a building material for residents' houses.

"We ask for a fatwa from the Minister of Forestry, what should we do with this wood. Can it be handed over to us to be made into boards, beams, or frames, so that there is a strong basis for us to help the community," said Armia.

He emphasized that this affirmation is necessary so that local governments do not face legal problems when helping residents to utilize disaster-related wood.

"This needs to be emphasized, so that we are not called by law enforcement officers. This is purely a form of our commitment to help the people of Aceh Tamiang," said the retired police officer.

The coordination meeting of the Sumatra Post-Disaster Recovery Task Force was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Saan Mustopa, and Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, as well as a number of ministers of the Indonesian Advanced Cabinet, the leadership of the TNI, BNPB, BUMN, and special presidential envoys.