President Jokowi Hands Over 2,568 Land Certificates in Sorong

President Jokowi in an event of land certificate handover to the community at the Aimas Convention Center, Sorong Regency, Wednesday (20/12). (Photo: BPMI)

The Government continues to meet the target for issuing five million land title certificates to the community until the end of this year. During a working visit to West Papua Province, the handover of land title certificates is part of the agenda of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

A total of 2,568 certificates were submitted directly by President Jokowi to the community at the Aimas Convention Center, Sorong Regency, Wednesday (20/12). In West Papua alone, it is targeted as many as 15,000 certificates submitted to the people of West Papua this year.

In West Papua Province, there are an estimated 1,356,581 parcels of land, but only 190,638 of which have been certified or accounted for 14 percent.

During the meeting, the President again emphasized the importance for the community to have their land certified. Many complaints came to him regarding land disputes due to the absence of this certificate. “Every time I go to the region, the problems that occured is the land dispute between individual and individual, communities and communities, communities and the Government. Why? The community has not yet hold the certificate,” the President said on Wednesday, December 20, 2017.

The President revealed that the Government should have submitted as many as 126 million certificates to the community throughout Indonesia. However, until the end of 2016, only as many as 46 million certificates are submitted. “So there are still many who do not hold this certificate,” the President said.

For next year, the Government is ready to hand over seven million certificates to the community. The target is set to increase to nine million certificates in the following year.

As for the people who have received their land title certificates, the President suggests them to keep the certificate well. In addition, the President also asks them to calculate in advance if they want to use their certificates as collateral in the bank. “I sugget you, if you want to use it as collateral to the bank, please calculate first, whether you can return the interest and installment, or not. If you cannot, please do not use it as collateral,” the President said.

Accompanying President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu Iriana Jokowi were Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/ Head of National Land Agency (BPN) Sofyan Djalil, Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki, and West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan. (Bureau for Press, Media, and Information of Presidential Secretariat/EN) (MUR/YM/Naster).