Indonesian President Joko Widodo reminded his staffs over the importance of policy for utilizing land in forest areas. In his direction at the Working Cabinet Limited Meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Tuesday (Feb 26), President Joko Widodo said that land use policy in forest areas will provide legal protection to people who use the land. The President also encouraged his staffs to immediately accelerate land data collection process in the forest area, so that all levels of society can immediately obtain mandates from these land. He also pressed the efforts to inventory and verify land tenure in forest areas, so that land disputes can be eliminated.
“I think the data collection and arrangement of lands in the forest area must be accelerated, so that the people can get benefit, the customary law community, the ulayat community are also able to utilize this activity. Then, we make inventory and verification of land tenure in forest areas,” said Joko Widodo.
On the same occasion, President Joko Widodo also explained that land conflicts and disputes often lead to people’s disadvantage. He also said that there are many villages in forest area that cannot be developed due to the difficulty of the license process. He explained this must be overcome immediately, so that people can get benefits of land in the forest area for the economic development. (VOI/Andy/Trs.AF/DP)