goodmorningpapua.com – The issue of customary [Ulayat] land in a number of areas, including Papua, often creates conflicts between communities.
The Ministry of Agrarian and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) is looking for a solution to manage customary lands in Papua.
Currently, the Ministry of ATR/BPN is intensifying the Complete Systematic Land Registration Program (PTSL) throughout Indonesia.
ulayat land is a plot of land on which there are ulayat rights of a particular customary law community.
According to customary law, customary law communities have rights over certain areas. This position of authority allows the community to take advantage of the natural resources, including land, in the area for their survival.
The Minister of ATR/Head of BPN Sofyan A Djalil ensured that the issue of customary land in Papua must be addressed immediately. “We are currently conducting very intensive research on how to organize customary land in Papua so that the land can be productive. Then, we can build Papua in a better way,” said Sofyan.
According to him, the land of Papua and West Papua is very wide and has such rich potential. Therefore there must be investment to develop the region. “We have to solve this problem. Therefore, we are conducting intensive research so that later this problem can be solved as well as possible,” added Sofyan.
The Deputy Governor of West Papua, Mohamad Lakotani, revealed that the land of Papua is one of the areas that adheres to customary rules. This is a uniqueness and challenge in land management which includes the process of measuring, mapping, registering, and issuing certificates. “We hope that there will be special attention from the Ministry of ATR/BPN for land parcels related to land objects of indigenous peoples by taking into account local wisdom in Papuan lands,” he said.
Through the PTSL program, the Minister of ATR/Head of BPN handed over 2,193 certificates for the people of the Papua Province, and 7,060 certificates for the people of the West Papua Province.