The problem with land<\/p>\n
The land problem in this country could become a social time
\nbomb if it is not handled with care. Many experts here agree, and
\nMinister of Agrarian Affairs\/Chairman of the National Land Agency
\nSoni Harsono has warned the public about the complexity of land
\nissues. The problem, another official has said, is no less
\nexplosive than the sensitive issues of tribal affiliations,
\nreligion, race and societal groups. Such a conclusion is not far
\nfrom correct.<\/p>\n
At present, many authorities consider these sensitive issues
\nperilous to this country. This is due to the fact that it is felt
\nthe widening social gap has its roots in racial differences and
\nthat religion is still a highly sensitive matter. For centuries
\nelders warned their offspring of the danger of tigers, despite
\nthe fact that tigers were far away in the jungle and may not have
\nkilled any humans in the span of, say, a decade. On the other
\nhand mosquitoes, which daily bite people and have claimed many
\nlives by spreading disease, such as malaria and dengue, were
\nnever mentioned.<\/p>\n
There have been many land disputes which were solved only
\nafter the authorities and the people became embroiled in bloody
\nclashes. Why has this happened? Dr. A.P. Parlindungan, an expert
\non agrarian law from North Sumatra, writes elsewhere on this page
\nthat most land-related cases reflected a poor understanding of
\nthe law, especially among the authorities. A national conference
\non law last year supported his conclusion.<\/p>\n
Parlindungan doubts that all officials in charge of land
\nproblems fully understand the agrarian law and other regulations
\non this matter. This ignorance has bred many failures in the
\ngovernment's efforts to solve land disputes. And many authorities
\nput their even more ignorant subordinates in charge of solving
\nthe problem.<\/p>\n
This kind of problem has occurred in many corners of this
\nsprawling archipelago. The most serious conflicts occurred in
\nKedung Ombo, Central Java, and on the island of Madura. In
\nJakarta, the seat of the central government, land conflicts are
\nas old as the capital city's history and are among the most
\nserious headaches for municipal authorities.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, where a serious land conflict which ended in the
\ndemolition of people's houses took place this week, the problem
\nstems mostly from the illegal occupation of government land by
\nsquatters. Many of them built and lived in the shanties on
\ngovernment land for decades before the authorities came to drive
\nthem away and demolish their homes.<\/p>\n
Do the authorities have the right to evict them when they were
\nnever told they were violating the law? They even had permission
\nfrom local authorities to stay there. Many of them were issued
\nidentity cards and asked to pay land taxes every year. A legal
\nexpert has said that when one lets a person occupy his land for
\nsuch a long period without complaint, the occupier can claim the
\nland as his own.<\/p>\n
What the authorities have done so far to supposedly ensure
\npeaceful eviction is to pay squatters compensation. But the
\nessence of the problem remains. The shanty towns are still
\ngrowing in number because the city authorities have not been
\neffective in their efforts. They are reluctant to remove
\nsquatters when they initially illegally occupy government land.<\/p>\n
This is also the case with the state-owned railway company
\nwhich doesn't lift a finger when it sees its train tracks lined
\nwith shanties. Poor families have lived along railroads for as
\nmany as five decades and will be allowed to stay there for
\nperhaps another decade until the land is needed for some project.<\/p>\n
What the government needs to bear in mind is that today the
\nsituation is quite different from what it was before. People are
\nnow more sensitive towards social injustices, social disparities
\nand corrupt practices in the bureaucracy.<\/p>\n
The demolition of shanties can spark riots or anti-government
\ndemonstrations which, if they get out of control, could ruin our
\nmost prided national stability.<\/p>",
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