Absentee landownership

Absentee landownership

Minister of State Secretary Moerdiono, in an address during
the inauguration of five deputy heads at the National Land Agency
in July 1989, criticized the phenomenon of absentee
landownership. According to Moerdiono, absentee landownership --
the ownership of rural lands by people in the cities -- should be
prevented because it could have a serious impact. He said the
land was being used as a commodity in order to gain huge profits.

We find it suitable to cite the minister's words because
absentee landownership has not decreased over the years, but
increased. This implies that the number of landless farmers has
also increased.

An agricultural census held in 1983 showed that of the 11.6
million farmers on the island of Java, 7.3 million, or 65
percent, are small farmers with less than 0.5 hectares of land.
It is quite possible that their numbers have since increased
given the intensity of the changes in land use. Farm land is
being transformed into real and industrial estates, or is being
used for city expansion projects, golf courses and other
purposes.

This problem of absentee landownership could be surmounted, or
at least the negative impacts could be lessened, by the
consistent application of land reform measures as stipulated by
Law No.56, of 1960.

-- Suara Pembaruan, Jakarta