“We need to re-evaluate the administrative system for island management and registration,” DPR Speaker Puan Maharani said at a press conference after a parliamentary plenary session on Tuesday.
The four islands — Rintan, Mala, Tokongsendok, and Nakob — in Anambas district, Riau Islands province, were reportedly listed for sale on a Canada-based website, privateislandonline.com, triggering public concern.
Maharani emphasized the need to improve island registration procedures to “prevent misuse or exploitation of islands in Indonesia.”
She said the DPR is working with the government to evaluate and overhaul the administrative system for managing Indonesian islands, and noted that the process would involve relevant parliamentary commissions.
Commission II of the DPR, which oversees home affairs and land management, has also expressed concern and plans to summon Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning Nusron Wahid for clarification.
“We will inquire into this issue when we summon the minister to Commission II soon,” Commission Chair Rifqinizamy Karsayuda said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya Sugiarto reiterated that no Indonesian island can be wholly owned as private property.
“Our law limits private ownership to a maximum of 70 percent of an island’s area,” he said.
Sugiarto clarified that while land on islands may be rented or leased, all such transactions must comply with existing regulations.
“Everything is regulated — no island can be fully owned,” he emphasized.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Anton Santoso
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