JAKARTA - The Forest Area Regulation Task Force (Satgas PKH) emphasized that the revocation of permits for companies that violated the use of forest areas was carried out without selectivity because it had gone through a continuous investigation process.
Spokesperson for the PKH Barita Task Force, Barita Simanjuntak, said that before President Prabowo Subianto revoked the 28 corporate permits announced on Tuesday, January 20, the Task Force had conducted a series of comprehensive research, investigation, investigation and audit.
Barita explained that the results of the investigation were then reported to the President in a limited meeting with the PKH Task Force and related ministries/institutions for re-examination or cross-checking.
"So it is not appropriate to say that it is not transparent or selective. The process is long, the data is comprehensive, accurate, and the factors causing the revocation of the permit are complete," said Barita when contacted in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, January 25.
According to him, the government management system in the context of revoking the permits of companies that violate the use of forest areas is quite strict, with upholding the principles of transparency and accountability.
The President's decision was taken after a thorough discussion based on data, field facts, and studies that were carried out for quite some time.
Barita said the revocation of the permits for the 28 companies was the result of a long process. Some of them are related to flash floods and landslides in the northern part of Sumatra at the end of 2025.
"There are indeed those related to flooding, but there are also those who are not related to flooding. However, they still violate, and the data on violations have been found," he said.
Furthermore, Barita explained that the PKH Task Force was authorized to regulate forest areas throughout Indonesia that were illegally managed by legal entities, both corporations and individuals.
Illegal management is intended to include violations of licensing and legislation, both in documents and in practice in the field.
Currently, the PKH Task Force is still checking other companies suspected of committing similar violations. "If there are any more violations, of course they will be processed just like these 28 companies," he said.
The check includes matching licensing documents with factual conditions in the field, including the area, type of activity, and suitability of the area's use with applicable provisions.
Barita emphasized that the regulation of important forest areas must be carried out because forests not only have economic functions, but also play a role in disaster control and prevention.
"There are production forests, there are conservation forests. Through Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025, the Task Force is tasked with disciplining every violation," he said.
The PKH Task Force, continued Barita, is committed to providing fair legal certainty. Corporations that do not violate it can still operate as long as they comply with regulations.
However, if irregularities are found, both before and after the disaster, discipline must be carried out, especially in forest areas that function as river basins.
"In an area that should be orderly, there should be no activities that interfere with the function of river flow," he said.
Previously, President Prabowo Subianto revoked the permits of 28 companies that were proven to have violated the use of forest areas. The policy was conveyed by the Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi at a press conference at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, last Tuesday.
Prasetyo said the decision was made by the President in a limited meeting held online from London, England, Monday, January 19.
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