GTRA Summit should integrate efforts to address land disputes: Jokowi

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is optimistic that the 2022 Agrarian Reform Task Force Summit (GTRA Summit) that he officially opened in Wakatobi District, Southeast Sulawesi, on Thursday, would integrate efforts to resolve community land disputes. “I laud this GTRA Summit. I hope this summit would be able to integrate all ministries, institutions, and local governments to solve land disputes in the community,” Jokowi noted in his speech. The head of state also reminded that land disputes had broad impacts, right from the social to economic aspects. Through the resolution of land disputes, people receiving land certificates could utilize their land for economic purposes, such as have access to gain capital from banks and financial institutions. “Unsolved land disputes could lead to social and economic problems,” Jokowi cautioned. The head of state emphasized that integration and synergy between government institutions is a vital step to address land disputes, with sectoral ego behavior still rampant among ministries, institutions, and also local governments. To this end, Jokowi pressed for integration, synergy, and openness to be immediately implemented in tackling land dispute problems.
“Do not just say ‘yes’ during the meeting, but later, we have zero result on the field. That is our weakness. All government institutions must be open to each other and synergize with each other,” he stated. The president also emphasized that he could no longer tolerate sectoral ego behavior that can cause losses to the state and also society.
The 2022 GTRA Summit in Wakatobi finally took place after two delays from the initial schedule of October 2021 and March 2022 following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases. Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (BPN) Sofyan Djalil, Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia, Governor of Southeast Sulawesi Ali Mazi, and Head of Wakatobi District Haliana also accompanied the president at the opening of the 2022 GTRA Summit. – Agencies