Army Chief Of Staff Ready To Discuss With Aceh Provincial Government To Discuss Blang Padang Land

Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak/ANTARA/HO-Dispenad

JAKARTA - Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General TNI Maruli Simanjuntak said his party was ready to sit down to discuss with the Aceh Provincial Government about the Blang Padang Land problem.

"If you want something, you should sit down together, chat. We don't have the authority to give it," Maruli said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 2.

According to Maruli, the Ministry of Finance is the party that has the authority to the land.

Based on the applicable regulations and administration, the land was then handed over to the Ministry of Defense and then used by the Indonesian Army to be managed.

This, continued Maruli, prevented the Indonesian Army from immediately providing the land according to the wishes of the Aceh Provincial Government.

"We also have a legality letter from the Ministry of Finance there," Maruli explained.

Maruli hopes that this problem can be resolved properly through applicable procedures and conditions.

The origin of the land in Blang Padang

Head of the Information Service of the Indonesian Army (Kadispenad) Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana explained the origin of the ownership of Tanah Lapang Blang Padang in Aceh Province.

In an official press statement from the Kadispenad received by the Indonesian Army in Jakarta, Tuesday, it was explained that the land was originally used by the People's Security Agency (BKR) as a place for troop camps during the 1945 struggle.

After that, the KNIL as the Dutch military handed over the land and its facilities and infrastructure to the Indonesian side.

"In 1950 the Dutch government through the KNIL carried out the handover of all military infrastructure on the land of Blang Padang and its surroundings to the Indonesian military and several documents were stored in the Indonesian Army regarding this matter," Wahyu said.

Furthermore, Wahyu said, after going through several administrative stages, the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) as the Manager of Goods (PB) issued a Decree Number KMK-193/KM.6/WKN.1/KNL.01/2021 dated August 24, 2021 regarding the Determination of User Status (PSP) to the Ministry of Defense (Kemhan).

The letter confirmed the status of the Ministry of Defense as a Goods User (PB), in this case the land.

"The next stage, the Ministry of Defense as a Goods User handed over the land management to the TNI AD as the Authority for Goods Users (KPB)," said Wahyu.

Furthermore, Wahyu explained, the TNI AD used the land for various needs such as ceremonies, sports facilities and facilities that were often used by the community or local governments to hold activities.

Wahyu himself emphasized that his party would not have a problem if the local government wanted to take over the land ownership.

"But the thing that must be guided is that these changes need to be carried out according to applicable procedures," Wahyu explained.

"In terms of mechanisms and procedures, of course the Indonesian Army cannot immediately hand over to the Aceh Provincial Government," he added.

Wahyu also explained that there are several ways that local governments can take if they want to take over the land.

One way is that the Aceh Provincial Government can communicate with the Minister of Finance as the manager of goods to change the PSP which stipulates the Ministry of Defense as a user of goods.

Wahyu hopes that the procedures that have been regulated in accordance with applicable procedures can be taken by the Aceh Provincial Government to solve this land problem.

"Once again I emphasize that the Indonesian Army has no problem if the Aceh Provincial Government will manage the land, of course after there has been a change in PSP, because actually the Indonesian Army has also received quite a lot of land assistance from local governments in the region through the applicable mechanism," said Wahyu.