During a Commission IV DPR meeting on December 4, 2025, members expressed varied views on Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni's responsibility for floods in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh. Rahmat Saleh called for the minister's resignation if unable to address the issue, while Firman Soebagyo defended him as merely cleaning up past messes.
The Commission IV DPR RI working meeting with Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni took place at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, December 4, 2025. Discussions centered on flood and landslide disasters in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, and their links to forest damage and deforestation.
Rahmat Saleh, a Commission IV DPR RI member, criticized the deforestation data presented by Raja Juli. He stated that the data seemed to show a decline in deforestation in Sumatra and Aceh but implied the Forestry Ministry did not view deforestation as the main cause of floods. "Tadi di awal Pak Menteri mengutarakan data yang seolah menampilkan bahwa sudah terjadi penurunan data deforestasi dari tahun ke tahun," said Rahmat. He cited two ministers in the Philippines who resigned on November 18 under President Ferdinand Marcos for failing to manage floods. "Jadi bukan sesuatu yang salah juga kalau menteri yang tidak sanggup mengatasi ini mundur juga. Itu adalah tugas yang mulia menurut saya," he emphasized, urging ministers unable to handle the floods in those regions to step down.
Conversely, Firman Soebagyo defended Raja Juli Antoni, calling him merely "cuci piring" for the accumulated forest damage since the pre-reformasi era. "Pak Menteri ini cuci piring, makanya saya bela," Firman stated, rejecting one-sided blame. He highlighted agrarian reform policies as a contributor to forest degradation and called for their evaluation. Firman also described Indonesia's geological fragility, such as landslide risks in Puncak, and demanded strict action against legal wood transportation during the crisis. "Dalam situasi kondisi bencana sedemikian rupa masih ada yang mengangkut kayu, walaupun masih punya izin. Saya minta kepada pak menteri ditindak tegas," he said.
These varied perspectives reflect ongoing debates on environmental accountability and forestry policies amid rising natural disasters.