Minister Of ATR Asks Ministry Of LHK To Report BPN When Moving Forest Boundaries

Minister of ATR/BPN Sofyan Djalil (center), Deputy Minister of ATR/BPN Surya Tjandra (second right) attend a working meeting with Commission II DPR, Senayan, Jakarta/ANTARA PHOTO/Galih Pradipta/rwa. (BETWEEN PHOTOS/GALIH PRADIPTA)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning (ATR)/Head of the National Land Agency (BPN) Sofyan Djalil asked the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK) to immediately report to the National Land Agency (BPN) when moving forest boundaries.

"Maybe if you go to the field, if the Ministry of Forestry moves the forest boundary, report it immediately, because if there is a change in the boundary, the BPN will not be reported," Sofyan said in a working meeting with Commission II of the DPR, reported by Antara, Thursday, February 17.

Sofyan gave an example of a number of cases that dragged BPN officers into criminal matters, which coincided with policies in the forestry sector.

The case was where the Ministry of Forestry had previously set forest boundaries. In addition, the forest has become another use area (APL) and the BPN has issued a certificate. But suddenly, the Ministry of Forestry changed the forest boundary and included APL in the forest area.

"The certificate has been issued and it is then considered a criminal act," said Sofyan.

He revealed that as a result of such problems, BPN employees were sentenced to two years in prison, for issuing APL certificates next to forest boundaries.

"When it was brought to the Administrative Court, the Ministry of Forestry lost and the certificate was deemed correct. But the BPN employee was already in prison, even under the Anti-Corruption Law, he should be fired," said Sofyan.

Sofyan emphasized that the BPN employee had done the right job, but was blamed for the policy on changing forest boundaries.

To resolve these various problems, he proposed the establishment of an Omnibus of the Land Law.

"Although we hope that we can work effectively, the other laws are very contradictory," explained Sofyan.

Sofyan believes that if the Land Law is made omnibus, then land problems in the community can be solved easily.