The Indigenous Peoples Bill (RUU MA) will again be an important agenda in 2025 after more than a decade of repeated entry into the National Legislative Legislation without ever being passed. This bill is expected to become a national legal umbrella that guarantees the recognition, protection, and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia, while harmonizing more than 20 sectoral regulations that have so far overlapped. Throughout 2025, the Coalition to Guard the Indigenous Peoples Bill together with civil society organizations, indigenous communities, independent state institutions, academics, and relevant ministries are conducting a series of intensive advocacy to the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government.
In general, political support for the Supreme Court Bill is starting to strengthen. Two factions – NasDem and PKB – are the main proposers. PDIP and PKS have expressed their readiness to push for stronger substance, although the official stance of other major factions such as Golkar and Gerindra is still marked by doubts, especially regarding the issue of investment, indigenous peoples’ deSnis, and sectoral synchronization. The lack of uniformity of factional attitudes shows that the main obstacle to the Supreme Court Bill is politics, not substance.
On the other hand, state institutions such as Komnas HAM and Komnas Perempuan, as well as the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Human Rights, have shown a strong commitment by drafting Norms and Regulations (SNP), facilitating cross-ministerial Group Discussion Forums, and participating in formulating the Problem Inventory List (DIM). The government actually seems to be more progressive than the DPR in formulating policy frameworks and harmonizing substances.
Advocacy in the region has also strengthened and put pressure on the signiSkan. Consolidation in Sorong, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Bali, Malinau and Sumba involves indigenous youth, academics, the media, and local governments. This grassroots strengthening emphasizes that Indigenous Peoples are not obstacles to development, but guardians of forests, coasts, and ecological resilience that Indonesia desperately needs in the midst of the climate crisis.
The substance of the Supreme Court Bill is now maturing. The crucial issues fought for include the recognition of customary identity, verification and determination of customary territories, the FPIC (Consent on the Basis of Information at an Earlier Without Forcement), the protection of indigenous women and youth, the restoration of territorial rights, the establishment of special institutions, and the harmonization of national laws with international standards such as UNDRIP.
However, until the end of 2025, the House of Representatives has not taken firm legislative steps. Despite many meetings, the official draft of the Supreme Court Bill prepared by the Expertise Body of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia has not yet entered the Legislative Body in its entirety and the support between factions has not been solid. The performance of the House of Representatives legislation is still lagging behind the readiness of the substance that has been built by the government and civil society.
In the future, accelerating the Indigenous Peoples Bill requires the courage and political will of the House of Representatives to make this bill a priority, end the impasse due to sectoral interests, and fulfill the constitutional mandate to protect Indigenous Peoples who have been vulnerable to eviction, criminalization, and loss of living areas. With public support, moral pressure, and consolidation across sectors getting stronger, there is real momentum to push the Indigenous Peoples Bill into law in the next legislative period.
Disclaimer: This article was written in Indonesia and has been translated by Google Translate. In case of dispute or discrepancy, the original language of the article should prevail.
