4 Facts Behind Prabowo Subianto's HGU Land Ownership

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The vast land ownership of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto continues to be under the public spotlight following Jokowi’s statement in the second presidential debate on Sunday, February 17.

“I am aware that Pak Prabowo owns a large 220,000-hectare piece of land in East Kalimantan and 120,000 hectares in Central Aceh,” said the incumbent during one of the debate’s segment on Sunday.

This was confirmed by Prabowo by the end of the debate who said that his lands are under business licenses (HGU) and expressed his willingness to return it to the state whenever the Indonesian government needs the lands.

Here are 4 facts about Prabowo Subianto’s land ownership that Tempo gathered:

1.Owns more lands outside Kalimantan and Aceh

Based on Tempo’s investigation and civilian group Auriga Nusantara, large-sized business-use permitted lands owned by Prabowo across Indonesia totals to 361,983 hectares spread across Aceh (PT Tusam Hutani Lestari – 97,300 hectare), East Kalimantan (PT Tanjung Redeb Hutani – 187,920 hectares), Berau (PT Tambang Berau Coal – 14,950 hectares).

He also owns the land home to a mining company (PT Kaltim Nusantara Coal – 4,793 hectares and PT Nusantara Energy), and in East Kutai (PT Erabara Persada Nusantara – 14,980 hectares), and four more lands in East Kutai.

2.Vice President Jusuf Kalla provides an explanation

VP Jusuf Kalla said that he was involved in permitting the HGU for Prabowo Subianto’s 220,000 hectare land in East Kalimantan back in 2004 two weeks into his role as Indonesia’s Vice President. He says that the abandoned land was initially a product of bad credit managed by BPPN and then was taken over by Bank Mandiri.

In a policy to prioritize Indonesian buyers, Prabowo was given the green light by Jusuf Kalla to purchase the land for USD150 million in cash from Bank Mandiri.

3.Prabowo’s commitment

In the presidential debate, Prabowo acknowledged his ownership of those lands and maintained that they operate under the HGU permit and is willing to let the government purchase them from him whenever needed.

“Anytime, the government can take it back. And if it’s for the country I willing to return them all,” said Prabowo. “But I would rather continue to manage those lands rather than having them end up in the hands of foreigners.”

4.The Indonesian government will not take them back

Presidential chief of staff Moeldoko said that the government will not revoke Prabowo Subianto’s HGU lands in East Kalimantan and Aceh for the government deems them productive lands.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI