KLHK Guarantees The Ciptaker Bill Equalizes The Rich And The Poor From Environmental Law

Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The draft of the Work Creation Bill (RUU) is being watched by various parties. There is one concern that the enforcement of environmental conservation is weak when this rule applies.

Dismissing this concern, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said the LHK Job Creation Bill as a form of State presence simplifies regulations so that people living around forests can prosper, while providing certainty that environmental law enforcement remains in the right corridor.

"The Job Creation Bill will become a legal norm that we hold together. Prioritizing administrative sanctions does not mean that criminal sanctions disappear instantly. This piece of information is clearly wrong, because the State will not be weak to environmental criminals, we want to be firm so that the environment is preserved and the people prosperous. "said Siti to reporters, Friday, February 21.

KLHK Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono added, the LHK Job Creation Bill aims to provide certainty that environmental law enforcement remains in the right corridor.

According to Bambang, it is not true to say that this bill only favors big business people. On the contrary, this bill is very pro-poor.

"The government is obliged to provide legal certainty, certainty in doing people's business, as well as legal certainty between the licensor and the licensee. Apart from the obligation to protect environmental aspects, the government is also obliged to maintain certain aspects of business continuity," he explained.

Based on data, there are 25,000 villages throughout Indonesia where millions of people depend on their livelihood from businesses around and in forest areas. Many legal cases so far have ensnared small communities around the forest, even though they only earn a living from the natural resources around them.

In addition, many community businesses around and in the forest cannot be carried out because the community is haunted by concerns that there is no legal certainty and business.

"MSMEs from activities around forests will live without neglecting the principle of forest protection, because legal sanctions for environmental destroyers remain. So, don't think that cukong-cukong and environmental destroyers can be free, that's not true," said Bambang.

This bill is also a step forward for the government to harmonize the interests of the people and the interests of entrepreneurs that are oriented towards the welfare of the people as a whole.

"The point is that the Omnibus Law Bill prioritizes speed of service without neglecting strict law enforcement. Through the Omnibus Law, the environment is maintained, marked by legal certainty in doing business," he concluded.