Reform of the Land Registration System in Indonesia: A Max Weberian Rational-Legal Bureaucracy Approach

Authors

  • Abdul Wahid Doctoral Program in Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia Author
  • I Gusti Ayu Ketut RH Doctoral Program in Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia Author
  • Lego Karjoko Doctoral Program in Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15294/pandecta.v20i2.13666

Keywords:

Bureaucratic, Land Registration, Positive Publication System, Rationality

Abstract

Social transformation and the increasing economic value of land in Indonesia have intensified the demand for legal certainty in land rights. Although Law Number 5 of 1960 introduced land registration to provide legal protection through certification, the prevailing negative publication system with positive elements remains problematic. It fails to ensure state responsibility for certificate accuracy, even when acquired in good faith, thus posing risks of legal uncertainty and agrarian conflict. This study analyzes the rationale for transitioning to a pure positive publication system using Max Weber’s rational-legal bureaucracy theory, emphasizing formal procedures, predictability, and administrative accountability. Employing normative legal research with conceptual, statutory, comparative, and historical approaches, this study draws from secondary legal materials analyzed through legal interpretation and the Weberian framework. The findings reveal that a positive publication system better aligns with Weberian principles and supports legal certainty. This reform is essential for enhancing land administration legitimacy and promoting inclusive, accountable agrarian governance in Indonesia.

References

Abdulai, Raymond Talinbe, and Edward Ochieng, ‘Land Registration and Landownership Security: An Examination of the Underpinning Principles of Registration’, Property Management, 35.1 (2017), 24–47

Ahmad, Ammar, and Sunil Kumar, ‘Land Registration Using Blockchain With Khasra Number As Land Identification’, Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 2022, 6037–48

Anindhita, Andi Batari, Farida Patittingi, and Chalis Al Rossi, ‘Perbandingan Sistem Publikasi Positif Dan Negatif Pendaftaran Tanah: Perspektif Kepastian Hukum’, Amanna Gappa, 2021, 106–13

Apriani, Desi, and Arifin Bur, ‘Kepastian Hukum Dan Perlindungan Hukum Dalam Sistem Publikasi Pendaftaran Tanah Di Indonesia’, Jurnal Bina Mulia Hukum, 5.2 (2021), 220–39

Arruñada, Benito, and Nuno Garoupa, ‘The Choice of Titling System in Land’, The Journal of Law and Economics, 48.2 (2005), 709–27

Asshiddiqie, Jimly, ‘Pengantar Ilmu Hukum Tata Negara’, 2011

Azisah, Nurul, ‘Sistem Pendaftaran Tanah Di Indonesia Dalam Perspektif Hukum Administrasi Negara’, Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Aktualita, 1.2 (2024), 71–85

Boedi, Harsono, ‘Hukum Agraria Indonesia, Sejarah Pembentukan Undang-Undang Pokok Agraria, Isi Dan Pelaksanaannya’, Jakarta: Jambatan, 2003

Bur, Arifin, and Desi Apriani, ‘Sertifikat Sebagai Alat Pembuktian Yang Kuat Dalam Hubungannya Dengan Sistem Publikasi Pendaftaran Tanah, UIR Law Review’ (UIR Press, Pekanbaru.(sdh dibaiki), 2017)

Carlo Bertot, John, Paul T Jaeger, and Justin M Grimes, ‘Promoting Transparency and Accountability through ICTs, Social Media, and Collaborative E‐government’, Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 6.1 (2012), 78–91

Christine, Herny, Koo Tito Novelianto, Meta Restiawati, Happrila Yuliana Jayanti, and Afriyadi Afriyadi, ‘A Study of Permissioned Blockchain-Based Framework for Land Ownership Tracking in Indonesia’, Jurnal Interkom: Jurnal Publikasi Ilmiah Bidang Teknologi Informasi Dan Komunikasi, 17.3 (2022), 119–26

Deininger, Klaus, and Gershon Feder, ‘Land Registration, Governance, and Development: Evidence and Implications for Policy’, The World Bank Research Observer, 24.2 (2009), 233–66

Edwin, David Asante, Evam Kofi Glover, and Edinam K Glover, ‘When Tradition Meets Modernity in Land Registration: Evidence from Dagbon, Ghana’, Land, 9.11 (2020), 416

Fischer, Frank, and Carmen Sirianni, Critical Studies in Organization and Bureaucracy (Temple University Press, 1994)

Fung, Archon, ‘Empowered Participation: Reinventing Urban Democracy.’, Princeton University Press, 2006

du Gay, Paul, In Praise of Bureaucracy: Weber-Organization-Ethics (SAGE, 2000)

Goetz, Klaus H, ‘11 Administrative Reform: Is Public Bureaucracy Still an Obstacle?’, Governance in Contemporary Germany: The Semisovereign State Revisited, 2005, 239

Hamzah, M Guntur, and Ria Mardiana Yusuf, Birokrasi Modern (PT. RajaGrafindo Persada-Rajawali Pers, 2023)

Herdarezki, Nadila Maysila, ‘Sistem Publikasi Tanah Positif (Terobosan Mewujudkan Kepastian Hukum Dalam Pendaftaran Tanah)’, Jurnal Pertanahan, 11.2 (2021)

Hutchinson, Terry, and Nigel Duncan, ‘Defining and Describing What We Do: Doctrinal Legal Research.’, Deakin Law Review, 17.1 (2012), 83–119

Ibrahim, Johnny, ‘Teori Dan Metodologi Penelitian Hukum Normatif’, Malang: Bayumedia Publishing, 57 (2006), 295

Kasim, Ifdhal, and Ifdhal Kasim, Hukum: Paradigma, Metode Dan Dinamika Masalahnya (Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Masyarakat (ELSAM), Perkumpulan untuk Pembaruan …, 2002)

Kepaniteraan Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia, ‘Yurisprudensi 5/Yur/Pdt/2018: Jika Terdapat Sertifikat Ganda Atas Tanah Yang Sama, Dimana Keduanya Sama-Sama Otentik Maka Bukti Hak Yang Paling Kuat Adalah Sertifikat Hak Yang Terbit Lebih Dahulu.’, Putusan3.Mahkamahagung.Go.Id, 2018 <https://putusan3.mahkamahagung.go.id/yurisprudensi/detail/11e93a5e7f0f404eb246313430383334.html?utm_source> [accessed 1 May 2025]

Khair, Vallensia Mizatul, and Wahib Assyahri, ‘Optimalisasi Administrasi Pertanahan Di Indonesia: Tantangan Dan Strategi Menuju Kepastian Hukum’, Journal of Public Administration and Management Studies, 2.2 (2024), 55–62

Knight, Andrew, and Les Ruddock, Advanced Research Methods in the Built Environment (John Wiley & Sons, 2009)

Lubis, Duma Indah Sari, Andi Hakim Lubis, and Rodiatun Adawiyah, ‘Reformasi Birokrasi Dalam Pengelolaan Pertanahan Nasional (Analisis Terhadap Implementasi Peraturan Presiden No. 177 Tahun 2024 Dalam Meningkatkan Efektivitas Dan Keadilan Sosial Di Indonesia)’, Law Jurnal, 5.1 (2024), 45–57

Mandala, Opan Satria, Ana Rahmatyar, and Muhammad Saparudin Efendi, ‘Konstruksi Perlindungan Hukum Untuk Pembeli Tanah Beritikad Baik: Analisis Dan Solusi Praktis Construction Of Legal Protection For Good Faith Land Buyers: Analysis And Practical Solutions’

Marzuki, Peter Mahmud, ‘Penelitian Hukum Edisi Pertama’, Jakarta: Kencana Pernada Media Group, 2005

Mikusiński, Grzegorz, and Krzysztof Niedziałkowski, ‘Perceived Importance of Ecosystem Services in the Białowieża Forest for Local Communities–Does Proximity Matter?’, Land Use Policy, 97 (2020), 104667

Mujiburrohman, D A, ‘Menyoal Penafsiran Tanah Telantar’, Jurnal Yudisial, 11.1 (2018), 1–22

Nitiyudo, Sari, ‘Regulasi Ideal Pendaftaran Tanah Terhadap Bukti Sertipikat Yang Berbasis Kepastian Hukum’ (UNIVERSITAS ISLAM SULTAN AGUNG, 2023)

Nneoma, Iroaganachi, Joseph Ufere Kalu, and Jatau Abigail Francis, ‘Effect of Land Title Registration on Land Sales and Professionals’ Satisfaction’, African Scholar Journal of Environmental Design & Construction Mgt. (JECM-4), 22.4 (2021), 33–46

Notonagoro, Sukamto, Pancasila Secara Ilmiah Populer (Pantjuran Tudjuh, 1975)

Patittingi, Farida, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Kahar Lahae, Andi Batari Anindhita, Chalis Al Rossi, and Marwati Riza, ‘The Comparison of Positive and Negative Publication System on Land Registration in Indonesia’, Pt. 2 J. Legal Ethical & Regul. Issues, 24 (2021), 1

Saraswati, Annisa Meinar, and Edith Ratna, ‘Pembatalan Sertifikat Hak Milik Atas Tanah Karena Overlapping Di Kantor Pertanahan Kota Semarang’, Notarius, 15.1 (2022), 403–18

Sessa, Maria Rosaria, Alessio Russo, and Francesco Sica, ‘Opinion Paper on Green Deal for the Urban Regeneration of Industrial Brownfield Land in Europe’, Land Use Policy, 119 (2022), 106198

Sitompul, Helena Albright, ‘Permasalahan Sengketa Kepemilikan Dengan Alas Hak Surat Keterangan Riwayat Tanah (SKT) Serta Akibat Bagi Pemegangnya’, UNES Law Review, 6.2 (2023), 5956–65

Soekanto, Soerjono, and Sri Mamudji, ‘Penelitian Hukum Normatif Suatu Tinjauan Singkat, Cet. 16’, Rajawali Pers, Jakarta, 2014

Sudrajat, Tedi, Hukum Birokrasi Pemerintah: Kewenangan Dan Jabatan (Sinar Grafika, 2022)

Suhariono, Agus, Mochamad Kevin Romadhona, Muhammad Indra Yanuardi, and Muammar Zaid Nampira, ‘Sistem Publikasi Pendaftaran Tanah (Kajian Sistem Publikasi Negatif Bertendensi Positif)’, Notaire, 5.1 (2022)

Suharno, Suharno, Haryo Budhiawan, and Muh Arif Suhattanto, ‘Identifikasi Permasalahan Proses Pendaftaran Tanah Dan Upaya Perbaikannya Dalam Rangka Percepatan Proses Pendaftaran Tanah Di Indonesia (Studi Khusus Kantor Pertanahan Di Lingkungan Kanwil Kementrian Agraria Dan Tata Ruang/BPN Provinsi Jawa Timur)’, 2016

Surawirawan, Irsyad, and Martin Roestamy, ‘Pengaruh Penerapan Stelsel Negatif Terhadap Duplikasi Kepemilikan Tanah Dikaitkan Dengan Pengembangan Perumahan Bagi Masyarakat’, Jurnal Living Law, 8.1 (2016), 73–81

Susilowati, Nur, Mulyani Djakaria, and Ida Nurlinda, ‘Analisis Prospek Pemberlakukan Sistem Pendaftaran Tanah Publikasi Positif Dan Aspek Kepastian Hukum Pemegang Hak Atas Tanah’, ACTA DIURNAL Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Kenotariatan, 4.1 (2020), 52–67

Tamanaha, Brian Z, Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law (Cambridge University Press, 2006), iii

Wahid, Abdul, Siti Malikhatun Badriyah, Ahmad Muhamad Mustain Nasoha, and Zamzami Zamzami, ‘Legalize Custom-Related Landownership Transactions: The Indonesian Experience’, Diponegoro Law Review, 8.2 (2002), 274–86

Wahid, Abdul, I Gusti Ayu Ketut Rachmi Handayani, and Lego Karjoko, ‘Legal Politics of Changes in Land Ownership Rights Regulations Post Omnibus Law Based on Pancasila Justice’, in International Conference On Law, Economic & Good Governance (IC-LAW 2023) (Atlantis Press, 2024), pp. 339–45

Weber, Max, Economy and Society: A New Translation (Harvard University Press, 2019)

———, Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology (University of California Press, 1978), i

———, ‘Economy and Society’, in Democracy: A Reader (Columbia University Press, 2016), pp. 247–51

———, From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Routledge, 2013)

Wibowo, Agung, and Lukas Giessen, ‘Absolute and Relative Power Gains among State Agencies in Forest-Related Land Use Politics: The Ministry of Forestry and Its Competitors in the REDD+ Programme and the One Map Policy in Indonesia’, Land Use Policy, 49 (2015), 131–41

Wójcik-Leń, Justyna, Przemysław Leń, Monika Mika, Hubert Kryszk, and Paweł Kotlarz, ‘Studies Regarding Correct Selection of Statistical Methods for the Needs of Increasing the Efficiency of Identification of Land for Consolidation—A Case Study in Poland’, Land Use Policy, 87 (2019), 104064

Yasa, Putu Astika, and I Nyoman Bagiastra, ‘Kedudukan Sertipikat Hak Atas Tanah Terkait Berlakunya Sistem Publikasi Negatif Di Indonesia’, Udayana Master Law Journal, 10.4 (2021), 827–40

Yusdiyanto, Yusdiyanto, ‘Makna Filosofis Nilai-Nilai Sila Ke-Empat Pancasila Dalam Sistem Demokrasi Di Indonesia’, FIAT JUSTISIA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 10.2 (2016)

Zakout, Wael, Babette Wehrmann, and Mika-Petteri Torhonen, ‘Good Governance in Land Administration’, World Bank: Washington, DC, USA, 2006

Downloads

Published

2025-12-25

Article ID

13666

How to Cite

“Reform of the Land Registration System in Indonesia: A Max Weberian Rational-Legal Bureaucracy Approach”. 2025. Pandecta Research Law Journal 20 (2): 717-56. https://doi.org/10.15294/pandecta.v20i2.13666.

Similar Articles

11-18 of 18

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.