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Agrarian ministry to resolve land disputes
President-elect Joko âJokowiâ Widodo is planning to establish an agrarian ministry to speed up land acquisition to support his ambitious development programs, his aide said recently
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resident-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo is planning toestablish an agrarian ministry to speed up land acquisition to support hisambitious development programs, his aide said recently.
'In the past, development programs were frequently hampered by land disputes. Jokowi wants a system that is able to settle this kind of issue more effectively, so he can ensure that his programs can be delivered in a timely manner,' Andi Widjajanto, a deputy in the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla transition team, said at the team's headquarters in Central Jakarta.
Jokowi's ambitious programs, such as port development as part if his maritime axis vision, would require massive land acquisition, Andi said.
Generally, the ministry would strengthen the existing National Land Agency (BPN).
'The difference is that the ministry will have more power, for example, it will employ the regulatory function the BPN does not have,' Andi said.
'About 60 percent of all legal cases nationwide are related to land disputes. This ministry will help the police and prosecutors settle them, at the same time, curbing the potential for new disputes,' he added. -JP
According to Andi, the ministry would also centralize policies related to spatial planning.
'We will adopt the so-called 'one-map policy'. Today, what we have is many ministries and agencies using their own maps and spatial planning that often overlap with other programs,' he said.
In addition to the agrarian ministry, Jokowi-Kalla also plan to establish two other new ministries, namely the population ministry and the creative economy ministry.
