[Press Release]

Since 2007, Indonesian Human Rights Committee for Social Justice (IHCS) together with several other civil organizations have been initiating legal reform on several Acts, namely; Act no 7 year 1996 on Food, Act no 31 year 2004 on Fishery (revised to Act no 45 year 2009) and Act no 27 year 2007 on Coastal and Islets Management.

This year, all the reform proposals are successfully entering the 2010 – 2014 National Legislative Programs (Prolegnas). There is also another proposal regarding agrarian reform and producers’ (peasant, fisherfolk and indigenous people) right to food, however because of administrative reason, the proposals could not be received by Legislative Body. In order to push these initiatives to be in 2011 Prolegnas Priority, it is important for the academics, legislators, legal reform initiators and government officials to unify perceptions regarding the importance of above acts.

 

Seeing the power reconciliation at the parliament and within government through the 2009 legislative and presidential election, people organizations sense the need for the new elected legislative and government to defend and to enhance Indonesian people’s constitutional rights by prioritizing new legislation which could bring prosperity, safety and social justice to all Indonesian citizen.

 

Reform on Act no 7 year 1996 on Food should be new legislation priority in order to answer marasmus and malnutrition problems, to secure the future of peasants and fisherfolk as food producers, to end state non-optimum approach in solving food problems and to upend clean water provision problem. Therefore main proposals for Act no 7 year 1996 on Food reform are:

First, Right to food assurance on state obligation and responsibility in respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to food;

Second, Productive resource management through agrarian reform and respecting, protecting and fulfilling peasants’ and fisherfolks’ rights as food producer;

Third, State obligation to provide food aid for vulnerable groups and area with specific needs;

Fourth, Assurance on the right to food breach prosecution and the victims’ restitution right.

Thus to perform agrarian reform, aquatic reform and peasants and fisherfolks protection, it is a must for government to consequently carry Act no 5 year 1960 on Agrarian Basic Law. It is also a must for government to revise Act no 27 year 2007 on Coastal and Islets Management and Act on Fishery because those acts are not protecting and fulfilling fisherfolks’, peasants’ and indigenous people’s right to food. Government should also raise labor minimum payment as an effort to protect poor urban access to adequate food.

 

Regards,

IHCS Executive Committee

 

Gunawan

Secretary General

 

 

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