President: Submerging Land Disputes Don't Look Easy

Screenshot - President Joko Widodo at the handover of land certificates to the people of eastern Java Province in Sidoarjo, Wednesday (27/12/2023)

President Joko Widodo emphasized that reducing conflicts or land disputes is not an easy matter, so it is necessary to have legal certainty in the form of certificates of ownership of all land in Indonesia.

"Now I go to the village, to the regions, one or two there are still this to reduce land conflicts, reduce land disputes, don't take it easy," Jokowi said at the handover of land certificates to the people of East Java Province in Sidoarjo as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, December 27.

The President said conflicts due to uncertified land disputes sometimes lead to acts of violence.

"If it's called the land dispute, the owner desperately defends his land, right? Even killing each other sometimes," said the President.

Jokowi emphasized the importance of ownership of land certificates for the community, as proof of land ownership. The President said that in 2015 there were 126 million plots of land that must be certified. However, at that time only 46 million land parcels were certified, and the remaining 80 million plots of land had not been certified.

At that time the National Land Agency (BPN) could only issue 500 thousand land certificates per year, so that to complete the certificate for 80 million land parcels, it is estimated that it will take 160 years.

Since then, the government has been aggressively pushing for the completion of land certificates throughout Indonesia, until it is estimated that in 2024 there will be only 6 million plots of land left whose certificates must be completed.

The President advised people who want to use their land certificate as collateral at the bank, to calculate correctly whether they can pay interest on loans at the bank or not.

The President did not want the land certificate that had been given, instead the bank confiscated the day because the public was unable to pay the loan interest.