Legal Certainty of Indigenous Peoples' Customary Land Rights in Relation to Cultivation Rights : A Legal Certainty Perspective in West Kutai
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55173/yurisdiksi.v22i4.409Keywords:
Indigenous Communal Land Rights; Cultivation Rights; Legal Certainty; Land Disputes; Dispute Resolution.Abstract
This study examines the nature of land disputes between the Intu Lingau Indigenous Community and holders of plantation cultivation rights in West Kutai Regency and proposes a dispute resolution model based on the principle of legal certainty. It employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches, analyzed through the theory of legal certainty. The research gap lies in the absence of studies specifically addressing the normative conflict between the recognition of indigenous communal land rights and the cultivation rights regime as the primary source of legal uncertainty in land dispute resolution. The findings reveal that the dispute extends beyond land control, reflecting a normative conflict between the constitutional recognition of hak ulayat and the state's grant of cultivation rights without an integrated legal framework. Consequently, dispute resolution mechanisms through regional governments and agrarian authorities have not provided definitive legal certainty. The novelty of this study is a legal certainty-based dispute resolution model consisting of three stages: recognition of indigenous communities and their customary territories, verification and legal audit of cultivation rights, and deliberation based on the audit results as the basis for settlement. This model is expected to strengthen legal certainty, protect indigenous communal land rights, and promote a more coherent land law system in Indonesia.
References
Abdullah, A., Fisher, M. R., & Sahide, M. A. K. (2024). Indigenous peoples, land rights, and environmental governance in Indonesia. Land Use Policy, 138, 107036.
Artaji, A., et al. (2024). Legal certainty and indigenous land rights in comparative legal systems. Environmental Policy and Law, 54(2), 145–162.
Harsono, B. (2008). Indonesian Agrarian Law: The History of the Establishment of the Basic Agrarian Law, Its Substance, and Its Implementation (Vol. I). Universitas Trisakti.
Budiono, I., Rahardjo, S., Hidayat, M., & Nugroho, A. (2023). Internalization of free, prior and informed consent as indigenous alienation resistance in structural agrarian conflict. Jurnal Cakrawala Hukum, 14(3), 279–290.
Indonesia. (1945). The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.
Indonesia. (1960). Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 51 of 1960 concerning the Prohibition of Land Use without the Consent of the Rightful Holder or Authorized Representative.
Indonesia. (1960). Law Number 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Principles (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 1960 No. 104, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 2043).
Indonesia. (1996). Government Regulation Number 40 of 1996 concerning the Right of Cultivation (Hak Guna Usaha), the Right to Build (Hak Guna Bangunan), and the Right of Use (Hak Pakai) over Land (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 1996 No. 58, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 3643).
Indonesia. (1997). Government Regulation Number 24 of 1997 concerning Land Registration (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 1997 No. 59, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 3696).
Indonesia. (1999). Law Number 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 1999 No. 167, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 3888).
Indonesia. (2014). Law Number 39 of 2014 concerning Plantations (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 2014 No. 308, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 5613).
Indonesia. (2021). Government Regulation Number 18 of 2021 concerning Management Rights, Land Rights, Condominium Units, and Land Registration (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 2021 No. 28, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 6630).
Indonesia. (2023). Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Stipulation of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2 of 2022 on Job Creation as Law (State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia of 2023 No. 41, Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia No. 6856).
Indonesia. Constitutional Court. (2013). Constitutional Court Decision Number 35/PUU-X/2012 concerning the Judicial Review of Law Number 41 of 1999 on Forestry against the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.
Maulana, M. A., Sukardi, S., & Salman, R. (2025). Normative conflict in granting land rights with fixed-term tenure in the Nusantara Capital City area. Veritas et Justitia, 11(1), 152–170.
Mertokusumo, S. (2007). Understanding Law: An Introduction (Revised ed.). Liberty.
Mertokusumo, S. (2019). Understanding Law: An Introduction (Revised ed.). Cahaya Atma Pustaka.
Muchsin, Koeswahyono, I., & Soimin. (2019). Indonesian Agrarian Law from a Historical Perspective. Refika Aditama.
Permadi, I., Kuswahyono, I., Suhariningsih, S., et al. (2023). Contemporary Agrarian Law: Its Relationship with Economic Development in Indonesia. Pustaka Peradaban.
Pemerintah Kabupaten Kutai Barat. (2013). Regional Regulation of Kutai Barat Regency Number 32 of 2013 concerning the Regional Spatial Plan of Kutai Barat Regency for 2013–2033.
Pemerintah Provinsi Kalimantan Timur. (2018). Regional Regulation of East Kalimantan Province Number 7 of 2018 concerning Sustainable Plantation Development.
Safa'at, R., et al. (2023). The Relationship between the State and Indigenous Peoples: Contestation of Authority over Natural Resource Management Rights (Revised ed., 3rd printing). Inteligensia Media.
Sumardjono, M. S. W. (2020). An Unfinished Agenda: Reflections on Various Land Policies. Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadjah Mada.
United Nations. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. United Nations.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Tarisa, Imam Koeswahyono, Supriyadi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.







