Gov’t to Continue Distributing Land Certificate to People Across Indonesia

President Jokowi distributes land certificate to people in Hatu, West Lehitu Sub-district, Central Maluku, Maluku, on Wednesday (14/2)

The Government has distributed 51 million out of the targeted 126 million land certificates to the people across Indonesia.

“Each year, the Government only issued 500,000 certificates. That means it will take 150 years to distribute all if the situation does not improve,” President Jokowi said when distributing land cerificates to the people in Maluku Province, Hatu, West Lehitu Sub-district, Central Maluku, Maluku, on Wednesday (14/2).

Therefore, the President instructed Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/Head of National Land Agency (BPN) Sofyan Djalil to issue 7 million certificates by this year.

“The Government distributed 5 million certificates last year, will distribute 7 million certificates this year, and 9 million the next year. We must distribute it to all people, otherwise there will be many land disputes,” President Jokowi added.

President Jokowi always reminds Sofyan Djalil about that matter because he always received similar complaint from the people during working visits to a region, province, village be it in Sumatra, Kalimantan, or Sulawesi, regarding land dispute and agrarian matters.

“(land disputes) be it between people and the Government, people and enterprise, people and State-owned Enterprise, between people, neighbours, or family members occured because people have not obtained the certificate,” the President firmly said.

In Maluku Province alone, President Jokowi added, out of 2.6 million parcels of land, only 14 percent of which have been certified in total. For the record, 44,550 parcels of land have been certified in 2017.

“Today, we distribute land certificates to 4,500 people, including 2,500 recipients in Ambon, and 2,000 recipients in Central Maluku,” the President said.

After the distribution, President Jokowi symbolically inaugurated Siwalima Museum, and signed an inauguration inscription of the Buddha Center and the Hindu Center.

Later, the President headed to Pattimura Airport, Ambon to pay a working visit to South Sumatra Province. (FID/ES) (RAS/MUR/MMB/Naster)