President Prabowo Takes Over Handling The Four Disputes Of Aceh Island-North Sumatra

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto decided to take full control of the polemic over the transfer of ownership of four islands from Aceh Province to North Sumatra (Sumatra).

This decision was disclosed by the Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, after communicating with Prabowo who is also the General Chair of the Gerindra Party.

"The results of the communication between the DPR RI and the President of the Republic of Indonesia show that the President is taking over the issue of the island's boundary which is the dynamics between Aceh Province and North Sumatra Province," Dasco said in his statement, Sunday, June 15.

The daily chairman of the Gerindra Party explained that Prabowo had targeted a decision on the resolution of the issue of moving ownership of the four islands to be announced next week.

"Next week a decision will be made by the President on this matter," he said.

As is known, the dispute over four islands in the Aceh Singkil region between Aceh and North Sumatra has been going on for a long time. Both claim ownership.

The four islands are Panjang Island, Lipan Island, Mangkir Gadang Island, and Mangkir Kepek Island.

Then, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Decree Number 300.2.2-2138 of 2025 concerning the Provision and Update of Codes and Data on Government and Island Administration Areas, set for April 25, 2025.

The Ministry of Home Affairs' decision determined the administrative status of the four islands as part of the Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra Province.

The Aceh government is currently still trying to advocate for the return of the four islands to re-enter the Aceh region.

The Aceh government together with elements of the Aceh DPR and the DPR/DPD from Aceh confirmed that their party will continue to maintain the four islands that are now being entered by the central government to North Sumatra.

"The four islands are our right, we must maintain them, the island belongs to us, belongs to Aceh," said the Governor of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf or Mualem, in Banda Aceh, Friday, June 13, as reported by ANTARA.

Mualem made this statement after holding a joint meeting with the Aceh DPR, the DPR/DPD Joint Forum (Forbes) from Aceh, Aceh Singkil Regent, ulama to Acehnese academics, regarding the resolution of the problems of the four islands in Aceh Singkil.

Mualem emphasized that there are three steps that will be taken to resolve the island dispute, first in a family, administrative and political manner. In essence, the Ministry of Home Affairs must return the four islands to Aceh.

In addition, the joint meeting agreement tonight also decided that Aceh would not bring the island's issue to court in this case sued the Decree of the Minister of Home Affairs to the Administrative Court (state administration).

Mualem said that his party also sent an objection letter to the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian regarding the decision to give the island of Aceh to North Sumatra.

"The point is (the objection letter), first our rights, evidence and data on our rights, then historically our rights. In terms of our population, geographically our rights, I think it is like that, that's all we maintain," he said.