President Jokowi: 70 Million Parcels of Land Are Still Uncertified

President Jokowi hands over waqf land certificates, at Baiturrahman Mosque, Limboto, Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo Province, Friday (1/3). (Photo: Jay/PR)

Although the Government has distributed hundreds of thousands of waqf land certificates and 12 million land certificates throughout Indonesia for the past few years, there are still millions of uncertified lands across the country that needs to be taken care of soon, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

“Until today there are still more than 70 million parcels of land that must be certified,” said President Jokowi during the distribution of waqf land certificates, at Baiturrahman Mosque, Limboto, Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo Province, Friday (1/3).

The President explained that the Government has intensively issued land certificates in a bid to avoid land disputes that widely occur in Indonesia. With land certificates, he continued, the land owners have legal proof of their land ownership.

He cited an example of a large mosque in Jakarta which stood on inherited land and after many years, the heirs (of the land) suddenly sued the mosque.

“Unfortunately, the mosque did not have the certificate,” the President said, adding another example of a huge provincial mosque in Sumatera which was sued by the heirs since the land only half-certified.

Thus, President Jokowi has ordered Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning (ATR) / Head of the National Land Agency (BPN) to speed up the issuance of certificates for the uncertified lands. (UN/ES)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Edited by: Mia Medyana