Foreign Nationals Cannot Prosses Land in Indonesia

Jakarta (Antara) - Foreign nationals are not entitled to possess land in Indonesia, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan stated on Tuesday. "Foreign nationals are not allowed to possess land anywhere in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia pursuant to article 33 of the 1945 Constitution regarding the ownership of land and natural resources therein," he said here on Tuesday. Paragraph (1) of article 33 of the 1945 Constitution stipulates that the economy is carried out as a common business based on familial principles. According to Paragraph (2), production branches, which are important for the state and involve the interests of the people at large, are controlled by the state. Paragraph (3) stipulates that land, water and natural resources contained therein are controlled by the state for the greatest benefit of people's prosperity, while paragraph (4) states that the national economy is carried out based on economic democracy under the principles of togetherness, efficiency, fairness, sustainability, environment conservation, and self-reliance. Furthermore, under article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, no foreign nationals are allowed to possess and control land in Indonesia, although there are some exceptions that allow management of land under certain conditions, the minister noted. "They can live on, hire, and build factories on Indonesian land for a certain period of time by complying with qualifications that benefit the nation and state," Baldan explained. (*) Reported by Ricky Prayoga