A Historical and Juridical Review of Status and Rights of Indigenous Peoples to Land in Deli Sultanate, North Sumatra
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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 8, Issue 9, September 2017, pp. 420–428, Article ID: IJCIET_08_09_050 Available online at http://http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=8&Issue=9 ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316 © IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed A HISTORICAL AND JURIDICAL REVIEW OF STATUS AND RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO LAND IN DELI SULTANATE, NORTH SUMATRA Tarmizi Universitas Amir Hamzah, Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara 20219, Indonesia ABSTRACT This study seeks to describe the position and rights of indigenous peoples, especially by taking special reference to the Deli Sultanate representing the customary law community of Deli in North Sumatra. The study was conducted with a historical and juridical approach. The results of study show that the existence of the Deli indigenous community empirically still exist with traditional institutions were given the authority to manage the rights to the land mastery collectively called the land of indigenous people's land partly in the form of ex-concessions currently held by PT. Perkebunan Nusantara II (Persero). In addition, the institutional existence of the community Deli still get recognition from local governments, with their Sultan Deli inauguration as customary law community stakeholders of Deli peoples is always attended by the Governor of North Sumatra, and given the right to regulate customs administration determines the traditional institutions and customary organizational structure to manage it. Key words: Indigenous Peoples, Status, Rights, Historical, Juridical Approach. Cite this Article: Tarmizi, A Historical and Juridical Review of Status and Rights of Indigenous Peoples To Land In Deli Sultanate, North Sumatra, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(9), 2017, pp. 420–428. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJCIET?Volume=8&Issue=9 1. INTRODUCTION The long history of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia has given rise to various effects, which consequently are still impacting until now (Ghofur and Susilo, 2017). For example, a treaty made by the Dutch, or a private company operating in the late nineteenth century of Dutch colonialism, still leaves a problem with respect to the matter of land after the colonial government was replaced by the Government of Indonesia. This study took a case at the Deli Sultanate in North Sumatra. The deed of concession on land in the Deli Sultanate area was born out of the agreement of Sultan Deli and Orang-orang Besar who acted on behalf of Deli's customary law community with plantation entrepreneurs http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 420 [email protected] Tarmizi (onderneming) originally represented by Jacobus Nienhuys, a tobacco company employee at Rotterdams Tobacco 'P van de Arend in Surabaya. The first concession was accepted by Nienhuys in 1864. The area of East Sumatra in the colonial period was the territory belonging to the Malay kings located on the north of the Kampar River and in the south of the Tamiang River with an area of about 92,000 square kilometres. This area is often referred to as Residentie van Oostkust Soematra which covers the Sultanate of Deli Serdang, Asahan, Langkat and Simalungun-Tanah Karo. With the exception of the Batak-controlled Simalungun-Karo region, the rest of East Sumatra was the power of the Malay sultans and was inhabited by ethnic Malays with their land rights in accordance with Malay customs. There is the word "customary Malay" there. It means that by law the people are the subject of rights of customary land. The status of customary (adat) land is not owned by individuals but in groups or communal called customary law community. This study attempts to describe how the status or position of the Sultan Deli represents Deli's customary law community in making a concession agreement with the Dutch plantation company. In addition, the study attempted to analyze land tenure rights after the agreement ended, along with the end of colonialism in Indonesia. The study was conducted with a historical and juridical approach, focusing on issues status of authority granting land concessions in the Deli Sultanate to Dutch colonialism, and its post-independence Indonesian ownership rights. 2. THE POSITION OF DELI SULTAN REPRESENTS THE DELI PEOPLES Deli Sultanate was founded by Muhammad Delikhan who holds Laksamana Kuda of Bintan or also known as Gocah Pahlawan (Basarshah, n.a), a derivative of Indian royalty. Muhammad Delikhan was trusted by the Sultan of Aceh to be a representative in the former territory of Haru Kingdom based in the area of Sungai Lalang - Percut. He then established the Deli Sultanate in 1630 whose power remained under the Sultanate of Aceh. Muhammad Delikhan died in 1653. His son Tuanku Panglima Perunggit succeeded his father's power. In 1669 Tuanku Panglima Perunggit declared the Deli Sultanate stand alone and free from the power of the Sultanate of Aceh and appointed Deli Tua Labuhan Deli as the capital of Deli Sultanate. In 1861 the Deli Sultanate was officially recognized free from the power of the Sultanate of Aceh and Siak Sultanate. This means that the Sultan of Deli had the freedom to do everything in relation to the lands that exist in his territory, including to surrender to the people and to enter into agreements with the Dutch Company. In everyday life, Sultan not only functioned as Head of Government but also as Head of Religious Affairs and also as Head of Malay Custom. To carry out his duties, the Sultan was assisted by the Viceroy, the Orang-orang Besar and the other servants. Sultan Deli, in addition to domicile as mentioned above, is also as Stakeholder / Head of Legal Community / Legal Communion of Deli. This status occupies a central place, because basically customary rights to land or rights over communal lands held by the alliance of the land law and transactions carried out by bringing and Head of the Guild (Mahadi, 2003). Rights owned by the Guild of law referred to the customary rights (Mahadi, 2003). Guild customary law is commonly also referred to indigenous and tribal peoples (Soekanto & Taneko, 2011). Ter Haar formulate indigenous and tribal peoples are organized groups that are steady with self-government that has objects in which material and immaterial (Soekanto & Taneko, 2011). The existence of indigenous peoples can be known from various criteria. A society according to Ter Haar (1981) can be seen if fulfilled four (4) criteria, that are there's a group of http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJCIET 421 [email protected] A Historical and Juridical Review of Status and Rights of Indigenous Peoples To Land In Deli Sultanate, North Sumatra people gathered, the group is subject to a rule or order, having self-government, and own property own both material and immaterial. Koesnoe (2000) states that indigenous people should pay attention to things in question whose answer will be the criteria for whether or not the indigenous peoples as follows: Is within the territory in question there is a group that is an organized unity. As such a group is whether the organization is administered by a board that is adhered to by its members. Since when the group is in the environment of the land (such as how many generations). Is the group recognizes a homogeneous tradition in his life so that the group can be regarded as a legal union. What according to the tradition of the origin of the group so that it is a unity in the soil environment. When the Dutch East Indies Colonial Government came to power in Indonesia, the existence of indigenous and tribal peoples was not disturbed in the sense that everything connected with the system of government and its substance remained the same. Even to strengthen it The Dutch government issued two rules, namely: • Gemente inlands Ordinance (IGO) Stb. 1938 Number 681 namely the Rules on Village Governance applicable to Java and Madura. • Gemente inlands buitengewesten Ordinance (IGOB) Stb. 1938 Number 490 jo. Stb. 1938 No. 681 on Village Governance for Outer Java and Madura. In the Malay royal tradition of Deli, the royal structure according to adat (customary law) consists of the king who was given the title of Sultan, then the Raja Muda, and the Orang-orang Besar who numbered four people and were given the title of Datuk. The role of the sultan as head of the Deli Kingdom is not as an absolute ruler. His appointment as Sultan depends on the will of the four Datuk namely Datuk Sukapiring, Datuk Serbanyaman, Datuk Sepuluh Dua Kuta and Datuk Senembah. Thus the position of the Sultan in the Deli Kingdom was not to be the ruling ruler but only as the ‘highest symbol’ of the kingdom receiving the highest honor and the greatest income. The Malay people call the Sultan's duty as formality. The Orang-orang Besar (Datuk) are the true leaders of the people. Datuk is who actually controlled the territory and the people according to his position as Head Urung (Datuk). Most of the area that is now called Medan City was still within the territory of Deli Sultanate when the Dutch East Indies colonial government controlled the archipelago. Moreover, the borders of the kingdom Deli with Gemeente Netherlands is the Antara Street (now Sutrisno Street). Villages such as Kota Matsum, Glugur, Sungai Rengas, Medan Baru, Sungai Kera, Sukaramai and others are still within the Deli Sultanate. The inhabitants of the territory, the indigenous people, are the Swapraja Deli and are subject to Deli royal justice. As mentioned in the "Politiek Contract", Kingdom Deli consists of: 1. The original Deli area (Sultan-gebied) and coastal forth around the left and right until Medan Deli river, inhabited by Malay ethnic. The area was ruled by Sultan directly, sometimes through his assistants who hold a "Viceroy" (Raja Muda), "Treasurer" (Bendahara), ”Prince)" (Tumenggung), Admiral " (Laksmana) and others.