Indigenous Peoples’ representatives from various regions in Indonesia attended the House of Representatives (DPR RI) on April 1, 2026, to urge the accelerated passage of the Indigenous Peoples Bill. The Coalition to Safeguard the Indigenous Peoples Bill criticized the slow legislative process and highlighted fundamental flaws in the draft version by the DPR’s Expertise Agency, where Indigenous Peoples are still treated as objects whose recognition heavily depends on regional legal products (Perda). They argued that this dependence on Perda contradicts the constitution, as the existence and rights of Indigenous Peoples should be recognized from the outset as whole legal subjects without waiting for conditional grants or legalization from the state.

During the meeting, it was also emphasized that Indigenous Peoples are not an obstacle to investment, but rather development partners capable of providing social legitimacy as well as maintaining environmental sustainability and national food sovereignty. As an expression of their aspirations, the Coalition submitted three main demands to the DPR RI: immediately pass the Indigenous Peoples Bill this year to provide legal certainty, guarantee the protection of customary territories from land grabbing and conflicts, and ensure the substance of the law truly accommodates their rights and needs, including the collective protection of indigenous women and the implementation of the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) principle.