Sunday, August 01, 2010 09:28 AM
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Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto expressed his readiness to mediate in a dispute between
state-owned port operator PT. Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) and residents who want to preserve a tomb said to belong to a respected Muslim figure.
Prijanto said he was informed that members of a Muslim group planned to stage a protest at City Hall on Friday afternoon.
“We will explain that the city will not touch the tomb. We will only raze the illegally built structures around the tomb,” he said Thursday.
Prijanto said Pelindo offered to build a monument to the tomb’s occupant, Arif Billah Hasan bin Muhammad Al Haddad.
The disputed land, which consists of a 20-square-meter cemetery and 300-square meters of illegally built structures, is located on a 145-hectare plot on Jl. Dobo in Koja, North Jakarta, claimed by Pelindo.
Prijanto said Pelindo had certificates proving land ownership and won a legal battle at the North Jakarta District Court on June 5, 2002.
With the approval of the Home Ministry, the city administration in 1997 relocated the graves at Dobo cemetery, including that of Al Haddad, to Semper cemetery.
In 1999 pilgrims rebuilt Al Haddad’s tomb and set up several structures for praying.
Prijanto said Pelindo later asked the city to help dismantle the illegal structures because the company wanted to turn the area into a container terminal.
North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono said the development of the container station was part of the port’s master plan to meet international standards.
He said construction had been planned to start in 2009 but was delayed by the dispute.
“We issued a warning letter [to dismantle the buildings] on March 9,” Bambang said, adding that he would wait for a response before issuing a final warning, which would give the buildings’ owners a 24-hour deadline to clear out before public order officers stepped in.
