BRIN Urges Caution Over Cek Bocek Identity Claim Linked to Rp7 Trillion Compensation Demand

Sumbawa, ThedailyID – The National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional / BRIN) urged authorities to review the identity claim of the Cek Bocek Selesek Reen Sury (CBSR) community with caution. The warning comes amid a Rp7 trillion compensation demand tied to mining operations.

BRIN conducted an interdisciplinary study on the issue. The agency found that the Rp7 trillion figure did not come from traditional customary valuation. Instead, negotiations and agrarian disputes with mining companies after the 2000s shaped the demand.

BRIN classified the case as identity revival, or ethnogenesis. The term describes the formation of a new social identity in response to socio-political change.

The agency also examined the use of administrative documents such as Surat Keterangan Penguasaan Tanah (SKPT). Claimants used these documents to support land release requests and compensation proposals. BRIN identified the same actors behind the SKPT issuance and the compensation draft. The agency said this overlap shows links between village administration and the broader claim process.

Dr. Rusli Cahyadi, coordinator of BRIN’s research team on indigenous community assessment in Sumbawa, warned the regional government to act carefully. He said officials risk legal uncertainty and social conflict if they grant recognition based on unilateral village regulations (Perdes) or SKPT.

Endra Syaifuddin, S.H., M.H., a law academic at Universitas Samawa (UNSA), also stressed that national law sets strict requirements for recognizing a Masyarakat Hukum Adat (MHA). Authorities must verify authentic historical origins. They must also confirm that a living customary legal system still operates in the community. Officials cannot rely solely on unilateral claims or newly formed institutions.

BRIN emphasized that the state must protect citizens’ rights. However, policymakers must follow legal procedures and rely on verified data. Otherwise, recognition could trigger wider legal disputes and social tension in agrarian conflict areas.