Ending the Land and Forest Fire Crisis: UIN Jakarta’s Djuanda Forum Advocates for Omnibus Law Breakthrough

FSH UIN Jakarta, UIN Online News – In an effort to champion legal reforms, the Legal Consultation and Aid Institute (LKBH) at the Faculty of Sharia and Law (FSH), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, proposed the enactment of an Omnibus Law as a legal breakthrough to resolve the Forest and Land Fire (Karhutla) crisis. The proposal was presented during the Djuanda Forum held at FSH UIN Jakarta on Monday (September 7, 2026).

The discussion featured several prominent speakers, including Dean of FSH UIN Jakarta Prof. Dr. Muhammad Maksum, S.H., M.A., M.D.C.; Head of LKBH Abdul Aziz, S.H.I., M.H.; and Constitutional Law Lecturer at UIN Jakarta Ferdian Andi Rosidi, S.H.I., M.H. The panel analyzed the Karhutla crisis—highlighting how it is exacerbated by eight fragmented legislative regulations, advocated for embedding the principle of green legislation within the proposed Omnibus Law, and reaffirmed LKBH FSH UIN Jakarta’s commitment to bridging academic research with direct community advocacy.

Dean of FSH UIN Jakarta, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Maksum, S.H., M.A., M.D.C., noted that the Djuanda Forum serves as an effective bridge connecting academic studies with public advocacy. Initiated by LKBH FSH UIN Jakarta, the forum functions as a periodic platform for monitoring legal issues, public policy, and societal concerns.

“Higher education institutions must not stand detached from society. The Djuanda Forum aims to integrate scholarly knowledge with direct advocacy for the public,” he emphasized.

Echoing this perspective, Head of LKBH FSH UIN Jakarta, Abdul Aziz, S.H.I., M.H., stressed that land and forest governance holds a crucial position in national policy. He argued that the future Omnibus Law framework must divide roles proportionally among all stakeholder institutions.

“The positioning of the National Land Agency (BPN) within the Omnibus Law framework must be explicitly defined to prevent jurisdictional overlaps between agencies,” he remarked.

To advance this initiative, Constitutional Law Lecturer at FSH UIN Jakarta, Ferdian Andi Rosidi, S.H.I., M.H., thoroughly examined the root causes of the legal challenges surrounding Karhutla. Speaking in the spirit of legal sovereignty, he explained that the Karhutla debate stems from overlapping cross-sectoral regulations.

“There are eight fragmented regulations spread across Laws, Government Regulations, and Ministerial Regulations concerning Karhutla. The Omnibus Law mechanism aims to integrate these sectors,” he stated.

The eight fragmented regulations comprise Law No. 41 of 1999 on Forestry, Law No. 26 of 2007 on Spatial Planning, Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, Law No. 23 of 2014 on Regional Government, Law No. 39 of 2014 on Plantations, Government Regulation No. 4 of 2001 on Control of Environmental Damage and/or Pollution Related to Forest and/or Land Fires, Government Regulation No. 71 of 2014 on Protection and Management of Peatland Ecosystems, and Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. P.32/menlhk/setjen/kum.1/3/2016 on Control of Forest and Land Fires.

Furthermore, Ferdian asserted that addressing land fires cannot proceed in a siloed manner; rather, it requires inter-normative connectivity across legal frameworks.

“The current approach to Karhutla follows a reactive pattern of 'fire, response, and law enforcement.' We need to shift toward risk management. What is needed is not merely a set of rules for handling fires, but a comprehensive framework for Karhutla Risk Management that integrates norms across the entire fire risk cycle,” he explained.

Concluding his presentation, he emphasized that the formulation of this Omnibus Law must embrace the paradigm of green legislation to support sustainable development.

“Thus, the proposed Omnibus Law carries the spirit of green legislation,” he concluded.

Source: Forum Djuanda LKBH FSH UIN Jakarta Usulkan UU Omnibus Law Penangangan Karhutla