Commission II of the DPR: Agrarian Reform Must Be Treated Like Rebuilding an Old House

Borneo forest area, Kalimantan/UNSPLASH/Yosafat Gusti

JAKARTA - Member of Commission II of the DPR from the Gerindra Faction, Azis Subekti, highlighted the agrarian conflict in forest areas that have the same root problem.

Two things that often contradict each other are the government's 'map' and the existence of residents who first weave life.

"The boundary lines are drawn on paper, but in the field the boundaries are often late, overlapping, or never really known by those who live in them. From these lopsided meetings, conflicts grow and last a long time," Azis said in a written statement, Wednesday, January 21.

Azis reviewed data showing that agrarian issues are not as simple as disputes between citizens and the state.

Dozens of priority locations for conflict management show the involvement of various actors - state-owned enterprises, private companies holding concessions, old transmigration programs, to state strategic assets. This indicates that agrarian conflicts are the legacy of fragmented spatial governance, not just the result of individual violations.

In recent years, the government's approach has begun to change. Conflict resolution is no longer entirely based on assumptions, but rather on spatial analysis and chronological tracing of land ownership.

Efforts to distinguish which land is actually outside the forest area, which is inside it, and which is stuck in the gray area should be appreciated. The state, said Azis, began to learn to read reality before making decisions.

"However, it is precisely from reading this data that another, more honest, reality emerges: most conflicts in the forest area cannot be resolved quickly. In a number of areas, thousands of land have been occupied by the community for decades, but do not meet the requirements for a simple technical settlement. The state is forced to take a policy path - management arrangements, partnerships, or limited utilization schemes - which requires patience, cross-sectoral coordination, and the courage to get out of the old pattern," he explained.

In the midst of this complexity, continued Azis, several stories provide important lessons. In a village in Bali, a long conflict ended not with eviction, but with consistent policy adjustments and dialogue.

The area of land that was settled was not large, but it had a significant meaning: the state chose to be present with deliberation, not with unilateral power. Legal certainty comes along with the restoration of trust.

Azis also quoted another story from East Java, where the agrarian conflict since the early 1980s finally found a way out after decades. The settlement was carried out through land redistribution, but what distinguishes it is sustainability. The land that has been legalized is not allowed to stop as a symbol of the law, but is encouraged to be productive through business assistance and economic partnerships. When legality meets access, agrarian reform changes from a document to a source of livelihood.

"However, these successes also highlight the unfinished dark side. There are still many villages in the forest area that live in a hanging status - waiting for verification, waiting for policy synchronization, waiting for cross-ministerial decisions that often run with their respective logics. The disconnection between land, forestry, and spatial planning policies is still a source of new uncertainty, including in the recognition of customary territories that are spatially outside the forest area but are administratively treated otherwise," he explained.

Azis emphasized, at this point, agrarian reform is not enough to be measured by the number of certificates issued.

"The more important question is whether the land really gives a sense of security and the future. Without access arrangements - capital, assistance, and markets - land legalization only transfers the conflict to another form that is quieter, more personal, and more difficult to detect," he said.

He emphasized that efforts to involve civil society and build collaboration across stakeholders are a step forward.

But collaboration will lose its meaning if it stops at meetings and forums. He demands data openness, clear measures of success, and the courage to discipline the sectoral ego that has actually prolonged the conflict.

"In the end, the agrarian conflict in the forest area is not about choosing between protecting the forest or defending the people. It is about rearranging the relationship between the state and the living space of its people. Forests do not have to be sacrificed for the sake of justice, and justice should not be upheld at the expense of human beings," Azis continued.

Agrarian reform, he said, if it wants to survive as a meaningful policy, needs to be treated like rearranging an old house: not by demolishing the entire building, but by understanding the old structure, repairing the fragile, and ensuring that residents still have space to live decently.

"A country that is able to do that is not a weak country, but a mature country - which knows that justice does not always come from firmness alone, but from the courage to understand," said Azis Subekti.