Youth organisation Social Army is disappointed with the handling by the Ministry of Grondbeleid en Bosbeheer (GBB, Land Policy and Forest Management) of land applications submitted by young people affiliated with the organisation. The organisation is seeking clarity on the absence of allocation decisions and a previously submitted proposal for approximately 4,000 building plots.
According to chairman Mitchell Matroos, Social Army held talks after Minister Stanley Soeropawiro took office about the position of young people and the status of various land applications. According to the organisation, those talks have so far provided insufficient clarity. The organisation said this in a press release.
Social Army states in the letter that, under the previous government, more than 200 young people became eligible for a building plot through various channels. Of this group, only 30 percent are said to have received an allocation decision. According to the organisation, the remainder are still waiting for that document. In addition, Social Army says it submitted a proposal in May 2025 for a larger project, aimed at approximately 4,000 plots for young people who do not yet have a building plot in their name.
“We were told that the project would be reviewed and that we would be informed of further developments,” Matroos said. According to the organisation, there is still insufficient clarity about the further handling of the proposal.
Applications through regular procedure
Social Army assists young people with their land applications and, it says, mediates where necessary in obtaining a land title. The organisation states that many young people experience the application system as complicated and not always fairly accessible.
During the talks, the ministry is said to have indicated that it could not provide support in guiding the documents of these young people. Applications and their further processing must proceed through the regular procedure, according to that statement.
The youth organisation says it understands that condition and supports the applicable laws and regulations. At the same time, it believes that young people should receive sufficient guidance within those procedures to submit their applications correctly and have them processed.
Questions over issuance to another group
Social Army refers to an announcement by the directoraat Domeinkantoor Grondzaken (Directorate of State Land Affairs) on Wednesday, 30 September, concerning a ceremonial presentation of land decisions to a specific group. That announcement raises questions for the organisation about the possibilities of also assisting its affiliated young people. According to Social Army, there appears to be scope for other groups to be facilitated jointly. The organisation believes that the minister should commit to transparent and accessible processing of land applications. In doing so, it calls attention to young people who have been waiting for years for their own building plot in order to build a home.
The affiliated young people have meanwhile scheduled a meeting to discuss the situation and possible next steps. Social Army says it will continue to advocate for the processing of their applications and to draw attention to their interests.
