Villagers upset at 'wakaf' land sale

TANGERANG (JP): A number of Kadu villagers in Curug subdistrict are upset at the sale of a plot of wakaf land by an influential village figure with the approval of the village head.

They complained that village head allowed the sale of the Wakaf property, donated for religious or community uses or purposes, without consulting area residents.

Sixty-six villagers signed a statement yesterday questioning the sale of the 3,250 square meter plot of land by Anjar Azizi. The land reportedly sold for Rp 100,000 per square meter.

"Under Islamic law, nobody has the right to sell wakaf land, unless it is agreed upon by all concerned," one of the villagers told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The villager, who requested anonymity, said the village chief, Marta Dinata, gave Anjar permission to sell the land. He said Marta told Anjar that all the villagers had agreed to the sale.

"That's a blatant lie. In fact we are strongly against the action," the villager said.

Another source said Anjar claimed that the money from the sale of the wakaf land has been used to buy another plot of land for all of the villagers. The source added that neither Anjar nor Marta have informed villagers of the exact size of the plot sold, nor how much was paid. (18/bas)