Maruarar Confirms Tanah Abang Land as State Asset
Housing and Settlement Areas Minister Maruarar Sirait has confirmed that the land in Tanah Abang is a state asset owned by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI. The minister made this statement after a meeting with PT KAI, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), and the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Body (BP BUMN) at Wisma Danantara.
Maruarar explained that during his inspection of the Tanah Abang land, some parties were uncertain about its state ownership. “We have now consulted and checked with ATR/BPN, and from all our understanding, we consistently maintain that this is state land,” said Maruarar, who is affectionately known as Ara, at Wisma Danantara on Friday, 17 April 2026.
The minister stated that the land will be used as the site for constructing flats for low-income communities. He mentioned that the flats will be built by PT Astra International through corporate social responsibility (CSR) financing.
Director General of Land Dispute and Conflict Resolution at the Ministry of ATR/BPN, Ijas Tedjo Prijono, explained that the land is registered under Land Management Rights (HPL) numbers 17 and 19 in the name of PT KAI. “Previously, it was in the name of the Ministry of Transportation, issued in 1988, and then the HPL was issued in 2008 in the name of PT KAI,” Tedjo said.
Deputy President Director of PT KAI, Dody Budiawan, detailed that there are three locations in Tanah Abang owned by the company. The first is Pasar Tasik, covering 1.3 hectares. Then, there are two adjacent plots known as clearance land, with a total area of about 3 hectares.
Dody said PT KAI will install signage on the land to affirm its ownership status. He noted that in 2025, KAI had already filed a police report regarding the misuse of assets by other parties. This report will also be included on the signage.
Nevertheless, Dody declined to name the other parties involved. “There are indications that our assets are being used by other parties, so we filed a report with the police,” he stated.
Some time ago, Maruarar had a debate with the Chairman of the United Indonesian People’s Movement (GRIB), Jaya Rosario de Marshal alias Hercules, regarding the ownership of land in the Tanah Abang area. The moment was captured in a video shared on Maruarar’s personal Instagram account.
In the video, Maruarar and his entourage are seen visiting an empty plot of land. “My goal is to build housing for the people here. It’s not for developers or the like,” Maruarar told Hercules, as posted on the @maruararsirait account on 5 April 2026.
Hercules then appeared to explain about land management rights or HPL. “HPL is for managing the land, but not for owning it. If this belongs to the state, I will hand it over today,” Hercules said.