Tangerang Sea Barrier

AFTER three months, the investigation into the sea barrier in Tangerang Regency, Banten, has not shed any light. Instead of going after the main perpetrators in this case, the police are only focusing on alleged falsification of documents by village officials.

The National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department has named four suspects for alleged falsification of documentation in the area of the sea barrier in Tangerang. They are Kohod Village Head Arsin bin Asip and Village Secretary Ujang Karta, as well as two attorneys. But the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has twice refused to take over the case, saying the files were incomplete, and has asked the investigation into the alleged corruption to be included.

The police should uncover the various legal violations in this major case, not simply localize the investigation by targeting the falsification of documents by low-ranking officials. For example, there are indications of bribery in the granting of permits, and police should also look into possible losses to the state resulting from environmental damage caused by the sea barrier. If this is done, it is possible that the land grab case involving the sea areas of 16 villages in six regencies will spread to money laundering and embroil many officials and businesspeople.

We all know that it is not possible that the 30-kilometer sea barrier was built on the initiative of and on a voluntary basis by local villagers. There are very strong indications of abuses of authority by public officials and payments being made to smooth the way for certain individuals.

Unsurprisingly, suspicions have arisen that there is a scenario to obscure this case, especially after the fuss started, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency said that some of the certificates were ‘legal.’ Whereas it is clear that the sea, which is a public area and a source of community livelihood, should not be transformed into corporate property.

Even without expending much effort, the root of this scandal is pretty clear. There is a major corporation that asked and paid for people to build the barrier, there is collusion allowing certificates to be issued, and it all points to money and power games. But the police seem reluctant to uncover the name of the mastermind behind the sea barrier.

So, it is only natural that the people are asking why the investigation is proceeding at a snail’s pace and why there are many unanswered questions. This is despite the fact that, in January 2025, President Prabowo Subianto explicitly ordered a thorough investigation into the sea barrier case in line with legal procedures. If the police are reluctant to do their job, the AGO should not hesitate to take over the case.

There have been no more loud proclamations that the government will use the sea barrier case to spur on an evaluation of national strategic projects (PSN). It is no secret that the construction of the sea barrier, which is a large-scale environmental crime, is closely linked to the Pantai Indah Kapuk 2 project, which is being developed by a property company belonging to tycoon Sugianto Kusuma, alias Aguan. This project includes the Tropical Coastland, which was declared a national strategic project during the era of President Joko Widodo.

This is not simply a matter of trivializing a case but is also an open revolt against the law reform agenda. If this is the case, what is being built might not just be a sea barrier but a wall of legal immunity for corporations and the elites involved.