InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA — Hydrometeorological disasters that struck Sumatra in late November were not merely natural events. They reflected the fragility of Indonesia’s development direction and posed a serious constitutional test, said Dr. Rasminto, Executive Director of the Human Studies Institute, during the same discussion attended by InfoSAWIT on Tuesday (23/12/2025).

Rasminto noted that Indonesia, located on the Ring of Fire, is inherently disaster-prone. However, vulnerability becomes more dangerous when development is unbalanced. The development triangle—environmental, social, and economic—should be balanced, yet in reality it is not.

He traced the roots of the problem to the post-Reformasi era. Under the New Order, protected areas were strictly zoned; after Reformasi, these boundaries loosened. As a result, forests outside Java were fragmented into residential plots and industrial concessions, with an estimated 1.4 million hectares lost to industrial activity.

The disasters caused 1,112 deaths, left 176 missing, displaced hundreds of thousands, and inflicted economic losses exceeding Rp 54 trillion. Social and political impacts followed, particularly in Aceh, amid criticism of slow emergency responses.

Rasminto warned against making palm oil a scapegoat. “Disaster issues are often stirred into accusations of palm oil deforestation, when the problem is far more systemic,” he said.

He welcomed the firm stance of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, including the revocation of forest utilization permits covering around 750,000 hectares and the cancellation of 18 PBPH licenses exceeding half a million hectares since February 2025.

Despite this, he cautioned against disinformation and weak law enforcement. He concluded by urging the full enforcement of Articles 28H and 33 of the 1945 Constitution, asserting that with strong governance, palm oil can become part of a sustainable development solution. (T2)