Councilors brush off disgruntled farmers

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors refused to meet with a group of farmers from Kalideres, West Jakarta, yesterday, who sought help to settle their land dispute with a private developer.

Members of Commission A for administration refused to comment, but a representative of the 10-member group, Muhajin, was told that the councilors wanted to have a "private session" with the developer, PT Citra Garden.

The farmers actually were scheduled to meet with the councilors and Citra Garden representatives yesterday to clarify the dispute over a 7,800-square-meter piece of land in Kalideres where the farmers live.

But without a clear explanation, the meeting initially arranged by the councilors was canceled abruptly two days ago, Muhajin said.

"I have no idea why we are being abandoned like this," he said. "We have been through hell to keep our property," he added.

When asked by reporters to comment, head of Commission A, Hotma Tambunan, refused to reply.

Some of his staff even banned reporters, who were usually allowed to cover council meetings.

The plot of land registered under land document No. C.42/27 in Kalideres, owned by the farmers, is part of a 24-hectare plot to be developed by Citra Garden into a luxurious housing complex.

The farmers have been living there for the past 23 years. When they learned in 1992 that the area surrounding their land was to be converted into a housing complex, they decided to sell the land to Citra Garden.

"But we were shocked when we found out that our land was bought by Citra in 1976. That's crazy. We never sold our property to anyone," Muhajin said.

The farmers suspected that the land documents had been stolen by subdistrict officials who later sold the land to the developers.

The farmers insisted that they were the legitimate owners of the land.

"We never sold our property to anyone," Muhajin said.

"There are only three parties who are allowed by law to keep the legal land documents. They are the owners, the subdistrict office and the National Land Agency. If we're keeping the original documents, how come Citra has claimed that it bought the land?" Muhajin said.

A representative of Citra, who asked for anonymity, said that they would try to settle the dispute fairly.

"But I can't say anything else because we're still reviewing the case," he said.

However, he admitted that his company had bought the land from another party, not from the farmers.

"We got the land certificate from another party. So, we really didn't know there was a problem until the farmers told us," he said.

Mujahin said the farmers just wanted to have a fair settlement.

"If they want our land, give us a fair price," he said. (07)