MRP advocates for customary land protection through special regional regulations

Nabire (ANTARA) - The Majelis Rakyat Papua (MRP) across Papua is currently advocating for the protection of customary lands through the preparation of Special Regional Regulations (Perdasus) to prevent land trading practices in the province.

Chairman of the MRP Association across Papua, Agustinus Anggaibak, in Nabire on Sunday, stated that the MRP has agreed on a joint recommendation to ensure that customary lands are not sold, including to fellow Papuans.

He explained that the promoted scheme for managing customary lands uses certificates of right to use, rather than certificates of ownership, so that ownership remains with the indigenous communities.

According to him, this effort is crucial to prevent communities from losing their lands due to short-term, unsustainable transactions.

“If land is sold, the community might be happy to get money, but it won’t last long. After that, they could lose their place to live in their own country,” he said.

He added that through the right-to-use scheme, investors can still utilise the land for business activities, while indigenous communities gain economic benefits without losing ownership rights.

“In this way, the community still owns the land and also benefits from cooperation with investors,” he stated.

He said that protecting customary lands through Perdasus is the main focus of the MRP in Papua to ensure communities do not lose their identity and source of livelihood.

Perdasus is a derivative regulation of the Special Autonomy Law, which is essential for regulating the protection of the rights of the Indigenous Papuans (OAP).

“This is an effort to safeguard the future of Papuan communities so they continue to own their own land,” said Agustinus, who is also the Chairman of the Central Papua MRP.