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