Jakarta. Unresolved land ownership issues are emerging as a major obstacle to Jakarta’s ambition of becoming a global city, with projects proposed by residents stalled due to unclear asset status, Deputy Governor Rano Karno said.

The challenge comes as Governor Pramono Anung aims to position the Indonesian capital among the world’s top 50 global cities by 2030. Jakarta currently ranks 71st out of 156 cities in the 2025 Kearney Global Cities Index, whose top 10 includes New York City, London, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore.

Rano said several community-driven infrastructure proposals discussed through the city’s participatory planning forum (Musrenbang) have been delayed or canceled because the land involved is not legally registered under the Jakarta administration.

“The main issue I see is land status. This must be resolved immediately,” he said during a visit to a residential area in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Musrenbang brings together stakeholders from the neighborhood to the provincial levels to formulate regional development plans. Residents can submit proposals ranging from drainage repairs to road upgrades, either in person or through online platforms.

However, Rano said the process's effectiveness is being undermined by long-standing land disputes and unclear ownership records.

The issue has also begun to affect public participation. At least seven neighborhood units (RW) have reportedly opted out of the process, questioning whether their proposals would ever be realized.

“There are seven RWs that do not want to participate in the forum because they feel it is pointless. And they may have a point; if the land status is unclear, the proposals cannot be implemented,” he said.

Rano acknowledged the structural limitation, saying that the city government is legally barred from carrying out development projects on land that is not officially designated as a regional asset.

“We cannot asphalt roads if the land does not belong to the government. That is the existing mechanism,” he said.

The problem is particularly complex in older urban areas such as Kemayoran, where overlapping claims and unclear documentation have persisted for decades. In some cases, buildings initially assumed to be owned by the Jakarta administration were later identified as assets belonging to Perumnas.

“We need to verify whether these assets belong to the provincial government or other parties. This will require further coordination,” Rano said.

He added that the administration will intensify coordination across agencies to resolve land ownership disputes that, in some cases, have remained unsettled for nearly 35 years.

Despite the challenges, Rano said the city remains committed to improving basic infrastructure and ensuring that community proposals can eventually be implemented once legal and administrative hurdles are cleared.

The land issue, he added, must be addressed if Jakarta is to accelerate development and strengthen its position as a competitive global city.

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