UNDIP, Parit Rambutan (22/8) – Land issues in transmigration areas are far more complex than simply holding a certificate of ownership. Every parcel of land carries a long history, ranging from the initial settlement records and replacement documents to changes in territorial boundaries and decades of evolving land tenure.
This complexity is currently being addressed by Team 22 of the Patriot Expedition Team of Universitas Diponegoro (TEP UNDIP) through a direct assessment of the Parit Rambutan Transmigration Area in North Indralaya District, Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra. Following up on the previous year’s evaluation, the team is focusing on the legal, spatial, and land-use planning aspects in Sungai Rambutan Village and Tanjung Pule Village to identify land-rights issues and formulate solutions.
This initiative is in line with the national policy under the leadership of Minister of Transmigration M. Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanagara, which places land dispute resolution as a key priority in the transformation of transmigration through the “Trans Tuntas” program. The Ministry noted that of the 3.1 million hectares of transmigration Land Management Rights (Hak Pengelolaan Lahan/HPL) across Indonesia, some areas still require improvements in their legal status.
“Alhamdulillah, today we have begun this major effort through the ‘Trans Tuntas’ program,” said Minister Iftitah when launching the program alongside the distribution of 1,120 ownership certificates to residents.
Based on field findings, the main challenge is not the absence of archives. Various important documents—including settlement records, beneficiary lists, replacement decrees, and historical maps—are actually available. However, they remain scattered across various local government agencies, village offices, and land administration institutions, without being integrated into a unified system.
Head of Team 22 TEP UNDIP, Dr.-Ing. Asnawi Manaf, S.T., emphasized the importance of using a credible single data standard. “The language that other agencies can most readily recognize is the NIB number and the certificate number,” he explained during a team coordination meeting.
To address these challenges, the investigation has been refocused on the most fundamental elements: the land parcels and the legal subjects who hold rights to them. Conditions in the field are highly dynamic. Land originally allocated to specific transmigrants is now often controlled by other parties. Legally, ownership remains vested in the name stated on the certificate until the official transfer of ownership has been completed.
In response, the team is carefully applying the principles of Land Control, Ownership, Use, and Utilization (Penguasaan, Pemilikan, Penggunaan, dan Pemanfaatan Tanah/P4) to distinguish between those who physically control buildings, the original rights holders, the function of the land, and the parties who benefit from its use.
The condition of each land parcel also varies. Some parcels have complete documentation and clear physical boundaries, making them ready to proceed to the certification stage. Meanwhile, other residential plots and agricultural land have experienced changes in control, shifts in boundary markers, or require in-depth verification in coordination with the relevant authorities.
To avoid merely conducting passive administrative data collection, the team is implementing a “by name-by parcel” approach. This method aligns the owner’s identity, ownership history, and land coordinates by combining archival maps, current land administration data, and aerial imagery, and then validating them directly with residents.
The mapping results are expected to serve as a strategic reference for the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), local governments, and the wider community. “We are not looking for who is at fault, but rather trying to map the root causes of these problems so that we can address them together in the future,” Dr. Asnawi concluded, emphasizing the team’s academic contribution.
While ownership certificates remain a vital aspect, aligning the history of legal rights holders with the physical conditions of land in Parit Rambutan demonstrates that accurate data verification is the foundation for establishing legal certainty and building a better future for transmigration areas. This comprehensive initiative also reflects UNDIP’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). (Public Communication/UNDIP/Patriot Expedition Team)
