Batu Ampar Polemic: Holding Joint Prayer, Residents Urge Agrarian Minister to Return Their Land

Quotation:

I ask the Minister of ATR/BPN to now also order his subordinates to execute the recommendation letter from the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mr. Mahfud MD, which is an immediate letter. “And there has been no solution to this case for decades,” insisted Tirtawan.

Batu Ampar, SINARTIMUR.com – The dispute over 45 hectares of land belonging to farmers in Banjar Dinas Batu Ampar, Perajakan Village, Gerokgak District, Buleleng Regency, Bali, has entered a new era. The farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief because their groans and cries have received a response.

The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, issued an immediate recommendation letter dated 18 October 2023, regarding Alleged Extortion and Abuse of Authority in Land Disputes addressed to the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of ATR/BPN, and the National Police Chief. It is recommended that the Minister of Home Affairs provide a legal opinion regarding legal products related to this land. It is recommended that the Minister of ATR/BPN conduct a comprehensive study with related parties to find solutions, and carry out investigations into all parties involved directly and indirectly.

National Police Chief General Drs Listyo Sigit Prabowo, M.Si, responded more quickly to the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs’ orders. As evidence, the report from Nyoman Tirtawan, the power of attorney for Batu Ampar residents, was immediately handled. Reportedly, Friday (10/11/2023) the Bali Police Corruption Crime Investigative team went to Batu Ampar to ask for information from the managers of the luxury hotel that stands on the disputed land.

Knowing that the Bali Police Corruption Crime Investigative team had come to Batu Ampar, dozens of Batu Ampar residents immediately gathered in one corner of the disputed land to hold a joint prayer. This joint prayer between Hindus and Muslims also coincides with Heroes’ Day.

Dozens of Batu Ampar residents who were victims of the confiscation of their land demanded that the Minister of ATR/Ka BPN RI, Hadi Tjahjanto, immediately implement the government of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Prof. Mahfud MD and immediately return their land as land owners based on the SHM and Decree of the Minister of Home Affairs.

“We, the residents of Batu Ampar, who have been victims, ask that our land, which has been confiscated for decades, be returned to us immediately,” said Jro Nengah Sulatra, who is also a local Hindu figure.

Residents hope that the central government will be serious in working and helping them get back their land which has been confiscated by the land mafia. The Minister of ATR/BPN was also asked to immediately deploy his team to the Batu Ampar disputed area.

“We all hope that the government, especially the Minister of ATR/BPN, will immediately order his subordinates to immediately work to return our land which was confiscated for decades. “We would like to ask all relevant agencies to immediately return the land belonging to Batu Ampar residents,” said Bambang Permadi, a Batu Ampar resident who is also a young local Muslim leader.

Similar pressure also came from Nyoman Tirtawan, the resident power of Batu Ampar. Tirtawan firmly urges the Minister of ATR/Ka BPN RI, Hadi Tjahjanto, to carry out the orders of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Prof. Mahfud MD and not to go against the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs who is the Minister of ATR/Ka BPN, and immediately return the land of residents who have been made to suffer for decades by the land mafia and usurpers. .

“I ask the Minister of ATR/BPN to now also order his subordinates to execute the recommendation letter from the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mr. Mahfud MD, which is an immediate letter. “And there has been no solution to this case for decades,” insisted Tirtawan, who is known as the “Hero who saved Rp. 98 billion of Balinese people’s money at the Bali KPU post during the 2018 Bali gubernatorial election.

“For this reason, once again I ask the Minister of ATR/BPN to immediately order his subordinates to process the distribution of people’s land confiscated by the mafia which in fact is hiding behind government institutions,” stressed Tirtawan again.

On this occasion, the resident legal team also gave a strong warning to institutions or high-ranking officials who were given recommendations by the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Prof. Mahfud MD, to seriously follow up on the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs’ recommendations. The seriousness of the institution that has been written to by the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs is awaiting quick action in its follow-up to resolve this land dispute.

“We ask the parties who have been given recommendations from high state institutions, in this case the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, to seriously follow up on the recommendations from the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs. “Because in his letter (Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, ed.) it was firm and straight forward that it was stated immediately,” stressed I Gusti Putu Adi Kusuma Jaya, SH, the residents’ legal team.

Furthermore, Gus Adi, nicknamed I Gusti Putu Adi Kusuma Jaya, SH, stated, “I hope that institutions, in this case the government or related agencies, will really move quickly, not delay the resolution any longer, including distributing the rights that should be received by people in Batu Ampar, who are the initial owners or actual owners of the land.”

Bali Police Corruption Crime Team to Batu Ampar?

The prayer action with Batu Ampar residents was carried out because there was news that Friday (11/10/2023) the Bali Police Corruption Crime Investigative team went to Batu Ampar to provide information from the managers of a number of luxury hotels that stood on the disputed land.

The Bali Police Corruption Crime Investigative team which is said to be carrying out investigations on luxury hotel managers, in another corner of the disputed land, prayers and mantras flow from the lips of dozens of Batu Ampar residents, carried out in a Hindu and Muslim manner,

Even though the prayer was carried out in the hot sun, everything felt lost in sincerity and emotion full of gratitude. Moreover, this time there are a number of organizations that are assisting residents who are victims of land mafia actions, namely Balinese vocal figure Nyoman Tirtawan who is the resident attorney, the legal team consisting of I Gusti Putu Adi Kusuma Jaya, SH; Eko Sasi Kirono, SH; Made Sutrawan, SH; and Ida Bagus Denny Ary Djodhi, SH, ST, MT, from the Garuda Yaksa Law Office, as well as the NGO JARRAK Buleleng which is led directly by its chairman Kompol (Purn) Nyoman Supardi and its members Drs Ketut Yasa.

Writer: Francelino
Editor: Francelino