3.8 Million Ha Tanah Ulayat Targeted To Be Certified For The Next 5 Years

Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY). (Theresia Agatha/VOI)

BANDUNG - The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) identified 3.8 million hectares of customary land that needed to be certified.

This was conveyed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of ATR/BPN Suyus Windayana when he was met at the opening of the first international conference on the Registration of Ulayat Land in Indonesia on September 4-7 in Bandung, West Java.

"We estimate that there are 3.8 million hectares (ha), yes (based on) our initial inventory," Suyus told reporters in Bandung, Wednesday, September 4.

The customary land is spread across 16 provinces, including West Sumatra, North Sumatra, South Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, Aceh, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Central Sulawesi, Papua and West Papua.

Suyus said that the customary land certification is projected to be resolved within the next 5 years.

"It's just that, right, it can't be completed until this year. So, we will gradually finish it for the next 5 years," he said.

On the same occasion, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) ensured that the government would properly record the Land of Ulayat in Indonesia. Thus, it can prevent land disputes that have occurred so far.

One of the efforts made was the Ministry of ATR/BPN holding the first international conference on the Registration of Ulayat Land in Indonesia on September 4-7 in Bandung City, West Java.

"Therefore, we, the Ministry of ATR/BPN, are trying to be convincing after being identified well with these customary lands, the border, the boundaries are clear. And the local government, provincial governments, district and city governments also provide recognition or legitimization of indigenous peoples in their area. After that, we were only able to make measurements, registrations and in the end everything was recorded properly," he said.

However, AHY did not deny that the investment target made by the government must be pursued in order to increase economic growth.

So, if needed, the government can procure customary land for the needs of state development.

AHY said that if customary land is needed for development, stakeholders are obliged to provide an explanation needed by indigenous peoples so that the benefits of development can be understood.

"Of course in the process and practice, we must continue to respect and respect everything they have had so far," he concluded.