"I found that there are still some land disputes or conflicts happening when I visited villages and regions. Suppressing such conflicts has never been easy," he added during a ceremony for the handover of land certificates to people in Sidoarjo district, East Java, which was followed online from Jakarta.
The President pointed out that disputes over uncertified lands tend to lead to acts of violence.
"When it comes to a land dispute, those who are involved tend to unleash everything at their disposal to defend the land. In worse cases, some people (have) even killed each other," he noted.
He then emphasized the need for all landowners to obtain certification for their lands so that they have proof of ownership.
Earlier, he said, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency has only been able to issue about 500 thousand land certificates per year, meaning that it would take 160 years for the government to certify 80 million uncertified lands, as recorded several years ago.
Therefore, the government has decided to further intensify efforts to certify all lands in the country. The efforts have led to progress as it is expected that there will only be around six million parcels of land left for certification in 2024.
In his speech, the head of state also urged people to ensure they have the capacity to pay the loan interest before deciding to offer their land certificates as collateral to banks.
He expressed the hope that all certificates will be used properly and protected by the people.
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Translator: Rangga P, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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