"We have handed over 115 waqf certificates this afternoon to all of you. Why do we do this distribution of certificates and accelerate it? Every time I go to the area and enter the village, many people often give me inputs regarding land disputes and land conflicts, primarily related to waqf land," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated at Al-Ittihad Mosque Al-Ittihad Islamic Boarding School, Langensari Village, Karangtengah, Cianjur, Friday.
President Jokowi handed over waqf land certificates to the managers of mosques, prayer rooms, madrassas, and Islamic education institutions after performing Friday prayers at the Al-Ittihad Mosque with the ulama, kiai, and santri of the Islamic boarding school.
The president highlighted the need for waqf land certification, as the issue of land conflict could occur over time.
"In the past, there were no problems, but now, it could be a problem since the mosque and hut also did not hold the name of the legal title to the land whose name was on a certificate," he remarked.
He pointed out that there were several heirs staking claim to the land on which a mosque had been built when the price of land rose significantly.
"This incident is a lot. I tell you in Jakarta, in the city center, the mosque is big. It has been built for years. There are no problems, but it has not held a certificate. Once the land there costs Rp120 million per square meter, the heirs start asking. What are you asking?" he pointed out.
Moreover, in Sumatra`s other provinces, there is a large mosque where half of the land is in question, since there is no certificate of land of the mosque.
Hence, the president has ordered his staff to immediately complete all matters tending to the waqf certificate for mosques, prayer rooms, madrassas, and places of Islamic education.
"For what? This is, so that there will be no land conflicts in future. Maybe today or tomorrow, there could be a problem," he remarked.
On the occasion, the president immediately urged the head of the local BPN to complete the certification in the Cianjur area and its surroundings.
It is estimated and targeted that all land in the region will be certified by 2424.
"Not all yet. This is because we have 800 thousand mosques and prayer rooms. There is still a lot of work for the BPN office to handle," he noted.
Present on the occasion to accompany President Jokowi were Minister of State Pratikno, Presidential Staff Coordinator Teten Masduki, and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.
Reporting by Hanni Sofia
Editing by Eliswan Azly
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
