Commission II calls for Agrarian Reform Task Force to function properly in the regions

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda, Chair of Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), has called for the Agrarian Reform Task Force, which has already been established, to be made operational, as its role in the regions has so far not been optimal.

“We ask that the Agrarian Reform Task Force be given greater attention by the Home Affairs Minister (Tito Karnavian),” said Rifqinizamy in Jakarta on Tuesday, during a working meeting and hearing with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), and regional heads and deputy heads from across Indonesia.

According to him, the Agrarian Reform Task Force has not been running optimally, even when Commission II conducted working visits to several regions.

Rifqi therefore asked the Home Affairs Minister to treat the Agrarian Reform Task Force in the same way as the Regional Inflation Control Team (TPID), which has been operating effectively.

“We have a task force and, in our view, after conducting working visits to several provinces, it has not been functioning as it should,” he said.

He added that once the Agrarian Reform Task Force is running properly, agrarian problems in a number of regions can be accommodated and their root causes resolved.

Rifqi also said governors will be appointed as heads of the National Agrarian Reform Agency (BRAN) at the provincial level.

BRAN is a new institution to be established under the mandate of the Draft Law on Agrarian Reform Regulation.

“Going forward, regional governments — the governors — will serve as heads of the National Agrarian Reform Agency at the provincial level,” said Rifqi.

He said the Agrarian Reform Regulation Bill will provide better land governance arrangements, including matters relating to the authority of regional governments.

The Bill is said to ensure that neither the people nor regional governments are left as mere spectators in agrarian reform efforts.