Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Minister Hadi Tjahjanto has asked the residents of Sukamakmur Village, Ajung Sub-district, Jember District, East Java, to not provide their land certificates as collateral to loan sharks.
“Be careful of fraud. If you want to use it as collateral or want to borrow money, don’t go to loan sharks; go straight to the bank. If you go to a loan shark, the certificates will be gone and the designation can change,” he said while handing over 250 land certificates to residents.
He urged people against borrowing money from the banks to get items of indulgence, such as motorbikes.
Instead, they must use it for productive things, such as for business, he said.
He also advised people to take good care of the certificates provided to them so that they would have legal proof, which could keep them safe from the grasp of the land mafia.
“Hence, keep the certificate really well. If necessary, make a copy once (you) get home; the original must be kept in a cupboard, so if it is damaged, we can exchange the original at the Land Affairs Office with the help of the local police chief. So, what the government wants (is) that ladies and gentlemen get assets with legal certainty,” he informed.
So far, the ministry has issued 390 land redistribution certificates in Sukamakmur Village. Certificates for 140 parcels of land were distributed on December 28, 2022.
Deputy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Raja Juli Antoni, who was also present at the event, said he hoped that the land certificates would boost people’s welfare.
“With this certificate, farmers, workers, and all the people there can smile brightly and feel the state’s presence through the agrarian reform program,” Antoni added.
The certificates originate from the redistribution of land by the Jember Land Affairs Office based on the Decree of the Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ministry Number 33-VIII-1999 on the revocation of cultivation rights on land for the Ajunggayasan-Jenggawah plantation area, which was registered under the name of PTP XXVII in Jember District, East Java, and spanned an area of 31,117.02 hectares.
Source: Antara News