Hasan Nasbi: The Government Doesn't Take Abandoned Land

Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) Hasan Masbi when delivering a statement at the PCO office, Gambir, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (16/7/2025). ANTARA/Mentari Dwi Gayati.

JAKARTA - Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) Hasan Nasbi emphasized that the government's policy regarding the takeover of abandoned land was not carried out unilaterally, but based on the principles of agrarian justice and applicable legal rules.

This statement was made by Hasan in response to the discourse on the distribution of unproductive land into the agrarian reform program as previously stated by the Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/BPN Nusron Wahid.

"The government's first spirit is so that no lands are abandoned," Hasan said at a press conference in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, July 16.

Hasan explained that land that was left without activity for a long time often caused agrarian conflicts, because it had the potential to be occupied by other parties without a clear legal basis.

Therefore, the government refers to Government Regulation (PP) Number 20 of 2021 concerning Control of Abandoned Areas and Lands which has been in effect since February 2021.

"The government will not immediately take over the land. There is a waiting period, there is a warning mechanism, up to three times, before decisive steps are taken," Hasan said.

He emphasized that this regulation applies to all forms of land rights starting from Cultivation Rights (HGU), Building Use Rights (HGB), rights to use, to property rights.

Hasan also emphasized that the government's move was based on the spirit of justice. One of the main focuses is preventing land tenure that exceeds the rights of certain groups.

"If someone is given the right to manage 100,000 hectares, but it turns out that it is controlled by 150 thousand hectares, the excess must be returned to the state. This is for justice," he said.

However, he emphasized that the government is not targeting land owned by the people. In fact, Hasan said, the government wants to encourage the land that has been given the rights to be utilized optimally.

"The spirit is not to take, but to encourage the existing land to be used productively according to its designation," he continued.

Agrarian reform is the government's long-term policy to redistribute land to the community, especially those without or lack of land.

In the national forum on Sunday (13/7), Minister of ATR/BPN Nusron Wahid said that certified land that was not used for two consecutive years would be subject to administrative sanctions in the form of a warning letter.

This step was taken to avoid the formation of abandoned lands that do not provide economic benefits and risk causing disputes.