Indigenous people have been given a glimmer of hope as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signed a presidential letter permitting the House of Representatives to begin deliberations with related ministries on the long - awaited bill on the protection of indigenous people's rights.
“He has sent it to the ministers […] I received the letter from the State Secretary Ministry, ” Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said on Saturday in front of around 300 indigenous people from across the country, who gathered in Minahasa, North Sulawesi from March 14 to 17 for the 5th National Working Meeting of the Indigenous People’s Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN)
Siti said the letter was sent to her ministry, the Public Works and Housing Ministry and the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry, which were the government sectors leading the deliberation of the bill.
Source: Jakarta Post