He said that the four important things in managing natural resources are utilization, equality, community participation, and respect for inherited rights.
"On June 16, 2011, as Chief of the Constitutional Court, I made a verdict that to make natural resources side with the people, we need four: utilization, equality, community participation, and respect for the rights that are inherited," he said.
He said that he and his running mate, presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, if elected, will use these four principles as benchmarks in managing natural resources.
However, Mahfud does not see the current government making efforts to preserve the natural environment.
He noted that while Indonesia possesses rich natural resources, food sovereignty remains unattained. Despite diminishing agricultural land for farmers, fertilizer subsidies continue to increase.
"There must be something wrong. There are fewer and fewer farmers as well as land. How come the subsidies go up every year?" he argued.
Mahfud emphasized that he and Ganjar have a number of programs to boost the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the country, such as the "Farmers Proud to Farm" and "Fishermen are Welfare at Oceans" programs.
After the first debate on December 12, 2023, the second on December 22, 2023, and the third debate on January 7, 2024, the General Election Commission (KPU) held the fourth debate on January 21, 2024, with the themes of energy, natural resources, food, carbon tax, environment, agrarian affairs, and indigenous peoples.
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Translator: Benardy F, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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