Hendrik Lewerissa Pushes Archipelagic Regions Bill into National Legislative Program

JAKARTA, LELEMUKU.COM – The Bill on Archipelagic Regions has officially been included in the 2026 Priority National Legislative Program (Prolegnas) as an initiative proposed by the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPD RI).

This was revealed during a coordination meeting of the Working Team for the Archipelagic Regions Bill held at the DPD RI Building in Jakarta on Wednesday (April 22, 2026), attended by Maluku Governor Hendrik Lewerissa along with several regional officials.

The meeting is part of efforts to accelerate the deliberation of the bill through a tripartite mechanism involving the DPD RI, the House of Representatives (DPR RI), and the government, as reinforced by Presidential Letter Number R-01/Pres/01/2026 regarding the appointment of government representatives in the legislative process.

Following the coordination meeting, Hendrik Lewerissa, who also serves as Chairman of the Archipelagic Provinces Cooperation Agency, immediately held an internal meeting with fellow governors at the DPD RI Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by representatives from archipelagic provinces such as Bangka Belitung Islands, Riau Islands, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.

During the meeting, two provinces, West Sulawesi and Southwest Papua, officially applied to join the Archipelagic Provinces Cooperation Agency.

“This addition has complied with the organization’s statutes and bylaws, including territorial requirements and shared understanding of the organization’s objectives,” said Hendrik Lewerissa.

Through mutual agreement, all members accepted the two provinces, bringing the total number of members to 10 provinces.

Following this decision, amendments were made to the organization’s Articles of Association, establishing the membership composition to include Maluku, North Maluku, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, and Southwest Papua.

Hendrik Lewerissa emphasized that all new members must comply with organizational rules as a form of shared commitment to advocating for the interests of archipelagic regions at the national level.

With the inclusion of the Archipelagic Regions Bill in the 2026 Priority National Legislative Program, it is expected that regulations accommodating the unique characteristics of Indonesia’s archipelagic regions can soon be realized. (Roe)