Jakarta – The National Land Agency is avoiding taking any action on the Pasuruan land dispute case until the President meets with governors from across the country.
"We are intensively following developments. We want to facilitate a resolution, but we also have to consider other social matters, so we will wait until after the meeting," land agency chief Joyo Winoto said.
He added that he was still waiting for a presidential instruction on the Pasuruan land dispute case.
"I will explain in detail after the President has issued instructions and has held the meeting, which will be done soon. My office will also hold a meeting with the military and the relevant governor to have a complete overview of the Pasuruan case," said Joyo after a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission II for internal affairs on Tuesday.
The dispute between Pasuruan residents and the Navy dates back several years, when residents from the subdistrict's 14 villages formally rejected plans by the Navy to transform the land into a location for military training. Villagers took the case to court but lost. The case is currently in the appeal process.
A protest by villagers on May 30 began peacefully but turned violent, resulting in four people being killed, including a woman who was four months pregnant, when marines opened fire on the crowd. Eight people were wounded, including a three year old boy.
Joyo said land dispute cases across the country were a legacy from the New Order regime. He cited 2006 data that listed 2,810 outstanding land disputes. Of this number, 1,065 were still in the trial process, 1,423 were pending trial and 322 were considered to have the potential for conflict.
"Outcomes for those in the trial process are still pending, while we have two ways to solve other land dispute cases, mediation or trial," he said.
He said the majority of land disputes were between individuals, while others were between government institutions and communities. "If we don't handle these cases quickly, they may snowball in the future," he said.
United Development Party legislator Lena Mariana expressed her disappointment over Joyo's statement. She had expected Joyo to provide complete data about land ownership in Pasuruan.
"For example, if we knew an official had bought the land for military training and then allowed it to be used for something else a few years later, the government should punish that official. The land agency should be able to provide the latest information on the status of the land," Lena said.
Legislator from the Golkar Party Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said the government should seek win-win solutions for land dispute cases. He suggested the government give land to the public if they had inhabited the land for years and had no other place to live.
"If land has no clear owner and no one is claiming it, the land should be given to the people. If any party wants to use the land, the government should relocate the residents. This would be a win-win solution," Ferry said.