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Mahfud vows to create special land-dispute agency
Vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD says he receives land dispute reports in every province that he visits during his campaign.
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Vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD (right) delivers a speech during a campaign event at Astaka Square in Medan, North Sumatra, on Jan. 28, 2024. (Antara/Fransisco Carolio)
Vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD has pledged to establish a specialized judicial institution to address land disputes if he and presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo win the 2024 election.
Mahfud first delivered the pledge during a public dialogue with Lampung residents on Jan. 24, in which they voiced numerous concerns, including corruption, political dynasties, law enforcement issues and land disputes.
"Thousands of land disputes have emerged in Indonesia. We shall create a special ad hoc judicial institution to address thousands of these cases," said Mahfud, as quoted by Antara.
Mahfud said he received reports of land disputes from residents in almost every province he visited during his campaign. One report said Lampung had become the province with the highest number of land dispute cases compared with other provinces. According to the report, numerous land disputes have occurred in Central Lampung, Rajabasa and Talangsari.
Other reports also alleged that several companies manage thousands of hectares of land in Lampung without having legal permission to do so.
After accepting these reports, Mahfud emphasized the need for nationwide agrarian reform to prevent future land disputes and secure the welfare of the citizens.
Concerning his pledge to establish a judicial institution for addressing land disputes, Mahfud also vowed to revamp law enforcement institutions. Mahfud said revamping these institutions was essential in order to eradicate biased law enforcement.
"Biased law enforcement practices in Indonesia mean that the rule of law is not applicable to important figures and their children and wives, people with the financial capacity [to bribe], people from certain groups [with law-defying capabilities] and mafia," said Mahfud, as quoted by Antara.
Mahfud then gave an example of biased law enforcement practices. He said a person whose family has lived on a certain piece of land for years or even centuries may have their property taken away by others who have official documents for said land. When the person reports the issue to the authorities, they may not receive support due to the lack of legal proof to ownership of the ancestral land.
