Commission II Of The House Of Representatives Asks The Ministry Of Home Affairs For Data On Islands That Have The Potential To Dispute

JAKARTA - Member of Commission II DPR RI Mohammad Toha asked the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) to immediately record all potentially disputed islands between regions.

This was said by Toha in response to the re-emergence of inter-regional disputes related to island ownership after the settlement of the 4-island dispute between Aceh and North Sumatra.

"The resolution of disputes on the islands of Aceh and North Sumatra should be appreciated, but don't let us be careless. In fact, there are still potential disputes in other regions that have not been touched," said Toha, Friday, June 20.

"So the Ministry of Home Affairs must proactively record and map islands that have unclear or disputed status," he continued.

According to Toha, the existence of small islands that do not have administrative clarity risks triggering horizontal conflicts between local governments. For this reason, he emphasized the importance of early prevention before problems developed into social conflicts or protracted legal disputes.

"If left unchecked, this could cause tension between regions, it could even disrupt public services and regional development. Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs must immediately intervene, mediate, and resolve existing disputes," he said.

Toha also encouraged the Ministry of Home Affairs to involve various parties, including local governments, the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), and other relevant Ministries/Institutions, in compiling a valid and jointly recognized regional map.

"Registration and determination of regional boundaries must be based on accurate geospatial data and agreed by all parties. This is part of maintaining the integration of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia while strengthening the autonomy of healthy areas," he said.

Toha said that until now there are still many problematic islands, from west to east of Indonesia. Among them, seven islands in Pekajang are on the border of the Riau Islands and Bangka Belitung. The islands were again contested after the island dispute between Aceh and Sumut emerged.

In addition, there is also a dispute over 13 islands between Trenggalek and Tulungagung Regencies in East Java. These islands are scattered in the southern waters of Java Island, namely around Munjungan and Panggul sub-districts in Trenggalek, and Pucanglaban sub-district in Tulungagung.

Toha revealed that the dispute arose due to overlapping claims over a number of uninhabited small islands. Local people say that the islands are located in the Trenggalek area, while in the official Tulungagung map, some islands are considered part of the district.

"Therefore, the Ministry of Home Affairs must be wise in resolving island disputes. The government must prioritize the facts and history of island ownership," concluded Toha.