Commission I of the Maluku Provincial Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) emphasized the limits of the legislative body's authority in mediating a land dispute covering 21,000 square meters in the Gunung Nona Vihara area, Ambon City. The Deputy Chairman of Commission I, Edison Sarimanella, stated that the DPRD only acts as a facilitator of communication between the disputing parties, not as a legal decision-making body.
This statement was made following a hearing that brought together the Suarna Giri Tirta Vihara Foundation, the owner of Freehold Title (SHM) No. 2337, and the owner of SHM No. 3278, along with representatives from the National Land Agency (BPN) and the local government. The meeting was held to hear views from various parties regarding land ownership claims, which have so far remained deadlocked.
Edison explained that this issue had actually gone through a lengthy process up to the level of cassation at the Supreme Court. He emphasized that the DPRD, as a political institution, does not have the legality to execute court decisions or cancel the status of land certificates that are the object of the dispute. Any form of administrative objection or ownership dispute falls under the absolute authority of judicial institutions and related technical agencies.
"The DPRD is not a court. If there are findings or objections regarding the administration of certificate issuance, the steps to be taken must be through the established legal corridors, not through political decisions," Edison told the parties involved in the forum.
Furthermore, he highlighted new dynamics where one party claims to have new evidence, even though the case has reached a final and binding legal decision (inkracht). Therefore, Commission I of the Maluku DPRD urges all parties to respect the ongoing legal process and refrain from actions outside the mechanisms regulated by law to avoid wider conflict on the ground.
