InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Palm oil farmers and communities from five villages in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, have brought their long-running land-tenure concerns to Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI), seeking legal certainty over land they have occupied and utilized.
The Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit (SPKS), together with community representatives, met with Commission IV of the DPR RI in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The delegation was received by Commission IV member Jaelani.
According to an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Thursday, October 1, the communities asked lawmakers to oversee the resolution of land-tenure issues involving areas they claim are located within forest areas.
SPKS Chairman Sabarudin said the issue requires coordination among several government institutions because it involves forest-area status, land occupation history and legal certainty for local communities.
The five villages involved are Wulele Jaya, Wonua Maroa, Anggokoti, Adayu Indah and Kosambi, located in Buke and Benua districts.
Communities Submit Six Key Requests
Among their demands, the communities asked the DPR RI to facilitate coordination with the Ministry of Forestry and prioritize the resolution of land-tenure issues.
They also called for access to official documents used to establish forest areas, including decrees, maps, boundary documents and other supporting records.
The communities further requested that areas previously proposed through the Inventory and Verification process for the Settlement of Land Tenure in Forest Areas (Inver PPTKH) be considered for inclusion in the Indicative Map of Agrarian Reform Land Objects (TORA).
They also urged authorities to reactivate the Inver PPTKH Team and Agrarian Reform Task Force (GTRA), involving relevant central and regional agencies.
The proposed process would include field verification, examination of land occupation histories, review of supporting evidence and synchronization of government data and maps.
DPR RI Plans Field Visit
The communities also asked Commission IV to visit the five villages directly to verify conditions on the ground.
Jaelani said he was prepared to follow up on the concerns and indicated plans to visit the affected areas.
For SPKS and the communities, field verification is expected to help reconcile official records with actual conditions and provide a basis for further coordination between the Ministry of Forestry, Southeast Sulawesi provincial government, South Konawe administration and ATR/BPN.
The communities hope the process will continue beyond the hearing through field verification, data synchronization and inter-agency coordination until a clear mechanism for resolving the land-tenure issues is established. (T2)
