T

he National Awakening Party (PKB) and civil rights activists have questioned the legislation of land acquisition bill, which will allow the government to take citizens’ land in the name of public interest.

Speaking at a seminar on land acquisition here on Tuesday, the PKB faction chairman at the House of Representatives, Marwan Ja’far, the Land Reform Consortium (KPA) secretary-general, Idham Arsyad, and Commission IV on agriculture, plantation and forestry deputy chairman Firman Subagyo said the bill would permit the government to acquire land for the private entities, which may include proposals from certain business groups in the property sector.

“The bill gives authorities the chance to remove inhabitants from their own land in the name of public interest, including the development of public infrastructure,” said Marwan.

“The more crucial issue is that the bill does not set requirements and certain conditions at which time the government is allowed to conduct a land-owner eviction process.”

He said that his faction was against the private sector’s involvement in any land acquisition in the public interest, and that the PKB’s supporters and constituents had so far suffered the most in many violent land acquisitions in Java and Sumatra.

He cited the fatal shooting of numerous people in the land acquisition for the military in Malang, Pasuruan and Cimahi over the past three years.

The government has submitted the bill because of the low absorption of the 2010 state budget allocated for infrastructure development.

The country’s investment climate has been considered unconducive due to, among others, infrastructure damage and the absence of new infrastructure in remote areas.

Abdul Malik Haramain, a member of the special committee assigned to deliberate the bill, questioned Chapter 13 of the bill, which allowed the government to conduct an eviction in developing slum areas and for the so-called land consolidation.

“If the private sector is involved in any rehabilitation of slum areas in urban areas, it will certainly affect the poor and social elements with no political and economic bargaining. Such condition must be anticipated in deliberating the bill,” he said.

Executive director of the Episteme Institute Mirna Savitri concurred and said the public should closely monitor the bill’s deliberation and provide positive input to prevent the government from arbitrary action in land acquisition.

“We do accept the economic development’s significance for the wide public but the state cannot ignore the people’s private right in the public’s interest. The House should also ensure that the bill eliminates all contrary bylaws on land acquisitions issued by local administrations,” she said.

Mirna called for the establishment of an independent land acquisition agency tasked to set plausible prices of land acquired for public infrastructures, and to eliminate land speculators functioning as brokers for infrastructure development.

“Many landowners have declined to hand over their land for public infrastructure such as toll roads, railway tracks and port extension projects because the land price is set far below the standard,” she said.

National Agrarian Agency (BPN) chief Joyo Winoto and Herman Keroem, a legislator of the pro-government Democratic Party faction, appreciated the bill, which was believed to have eliminated land speculators or brokers.

Joyo said the bill was submitted to ensure the government’s authority in land acquisition and to protect the people’s rights on their own land.

He admitted it had been difficult for the government to acquire land for infrastructure development, especially in urban areas, amid the reform era.

“With the bill, the government is allowed to remove residents from their land acquired for infrastructure in the public interest.”