The Yogyakarta Indonesian Ombudsman (ORI Yogyakarta) says a 1975 Yogyakarta deputy gubernatorial instruction cannot be used as a legal basis for the State Land Agency (BPN) to reject the registration of land ownership status transfers requested by Chinese-Indonesians.
“This is in line with a Supreme Court ruling issued in 2015 that declared the instruction invalid,” said Budhi Masthuri of ORI Yogyakarta on Monday.
He said ORI Yogyakarta had issued the decision on Friday after it investigated reports submitted by Ida Cholidah from the Yura law office, Zealous Siput Lokasari, Kus Sri Antoro and People’s Movement against Discrimination (Granad).
They reported BPN heads in Bantul and Kulon Progo regencies, as well as Yogyakarta city for reportedly rejecting land ownership transfer requests submitted in 2016.
The agency heads in the three areas said their decisions had been based on a circular issued by BPN Yogyakarta on a 1975 Yogyakarta deputy gubernatorial instruction that stated an Indonesian citizen of Chinese descent did not have land ownership rights in Yogyakarta.
ORI Yogyakarta said the move contravened land registration regulations. (ebf)
Photo: JP/Bambang Muryanto