Top judge urges govt to pay Kedungombo compensation

JAKARTA (JP): A top judge has urged the government to pay compensation to the villagers whose land has been acquired for the Kedungombo reservoir in compliance with the original Supreme Court ruling.

"Further delays will simply mean more burden later," Justice Bismar Siregar commented to the Antara news agency about the delays in executing the court's ruling.

The government has refused to pay the compensation as set by the court and has instead applied for a review of the case with the court. In addition, the government has asked to postpone any payment pending the outcome of the case's review.

In a surprising move the court ruled that the government must pay Rp 50,000 per square meter of land to the villagers, in contrast to Rp 4,000 offered by the government and Rp 10,000 sought by the villagers.

The government fears that paying the compensation to the 34 villagers could invite thousands of other villagers who already accepted the government's offer of compensation to file their own lawsuits. The 34 villagers were represented by lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

Justice Bismar however said that further postponement would set a bad precedent for the legal system and undermine the integrity of the system, according to Antara.

He was speaking in Yogyakarta after presenting an oration at the Indonesian Islamic University on Wednesday.

"An unexecuted court ruling is like a debt, piling a burden on the state," he said, adding that it would be best for the government to comply with the court ruling, no matter how bitter.

Bismar also suggested that the government of Central Java, which is a party to the dispute, establish a line of communication with the villagers so that they can settle the matter peacefully.

He said the villagers should be prepared to accept a compromise given the difficult situation facing the Central Java government. (emb)