'Hoodlums hired to appropriate land'
'Hoodlums hired to appropriate land'
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Agrarian Affairs Soni Harsono
charged yesterday that many developers resort to intimidation to
coerce land owners into selling their property.
In a hearing with House Commission II for home affairs, Soni
said a number of developers try to shorten the usually lengthy
process of land appropriation by hiring hoodlums, brokers, or
even police and military officers to pressure owners to sell.
"This isn't right," he told the hearing which was presided
over by Hari Sabarno of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction. Soni
used the occasion yesterday to warn developers to follow the
rules.
Soni also blasted developers who, once they receive the
government permits to buy and develop land in certain locations,
act as if they have complete control over the property.
"They can't just bulldoze the land when they have only
'location permits'," he said.
Developers have to obtain permits from the authorities to buy
and develop property. The permits do not guarantee that the land
owners will sell. Land appropriation transactions have to take
place with the full consent of the land owners.
It is at this stage in appropriation that some developers turn
to manipulation to force land owners into selling.
Under existing regulations, developers must also seek
permission from the National Land Agency to use the land. An
investigation team from the agency will decide whether the
developer is credible enough to be issued a permit.
During the hearing yesterday, the legislators barraged Soni
with questions about some of the most recent land disputes marked
by intimidation and other forms of abuse.
Among the examples given by the legislators was the recent
shooting at a five-star hotel and the headquarters of a state-
owned bank, which some people said could be linked to a land
appropriation case.
City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo has said that the
suspects were only "out for fun" when they aimed and fired at the
buildings.
Soni also commented about the land dispute in Muara Kapuk
subdistrict, North Jakarta. He called on the parties in the
dispute for restraint.
More than 40 families from that subdistrict visited the House
of Representatives two weeks ago complaining that the Jakarta
administration had swindled them into giving up their land.
The residents told the legislators from the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) faction that the administration initially
promised to use their land for a public cemetery.
Later, the residents found out that a private company was
about to develop the plot for a shopping center and other
commercial projects.
Soni reminded developers to refer to the existing laws on
housing and resettlement whenever they plan to appropriate and
develop land. The laws protect the land owners' rights in
disputes.
"Complaints about the residents not being grant their rights
should be investigated, and construction activities should be
stopped in the meantime," he said. (01)