Source: Untar Public Relations – VA
Waldus Situmorang, Senior Advocate at Soesilo Aribowo and Partners Law Office, Jakarta, has officially earned his Doctoral degree in Law from Universitas Tarumanagara after successfully defending his dissertation in an open doctoral promotion session held on Wednesday (3/12/2025) at the Auditorium of Building M, Campus I Universitas Tarumanagara.
The session was chaired by the Rector as well as Dean of the Faculty of Law (FH) Universitas Tarumanagara, Prof. Dr. Amad Sudiro, S.H., M.H., M.Kn., M.M., together with Main Promoter Prof. Dr. Mella Ismelina F. R., S.H., M.H., Co-Promoter Prof. Dr. H. Rasji, S.H., M.H., as well as internal and external examiners.
Waldus’ dissertation is entitled “Dua Undang-Undang Berbeda antara Undang-Undang No. 6 Tahun 2023 dengan UUPA Berikut Turunan Pengaturannya terkait Hak Atas Tanah dalam Persepsi Keabsahan Hukum.” The study highlights regulatory differences and inconsistencies in land governance between the Job Creation Law (UUCK) and the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA), two major legal frameworks governing land rights in Indonesia.
In his research, Waldus found that several new concepts introduced in the UUCK are not fully aligned with the fundamental principles established in the UUPA. These discrepancies may create confusion among the public and lead to legal uncertainty, particularly in land management, property ownership, and indigenous land status. He also noted that several derivative regulations under the UUCK lack strong legal standing as they conflict with higher-level regulations.
Waldus during his dissertation presentation // Doc: Untar Public Relations – VA
“Such regulatory differences need to be harmonized so that land governance remains clear, fair, and does not create issues for rights holders,” Waldus stated during his presentation.
Through an in-depth legal analysis, Waldus—who previously served as Head of Sub-Directorate of Defense Control at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia—emphasized that the UUPA, as the foundational agrarian law, should remain the primary reference, while other regulations must be adjusted to avoid conflicts.
After being declared graduated with a GPA of 4.00 and cum laude distinction, Dr. Waldus was officially inaugurated as the 51st Doctor of Law from the Doctoral Program in Law, Faculty of Law Universitas Tarumanagara. Main Promoter Prof. Mella expressed her appreciation for the achievement. “Congratulations on Dr. Waldus’ success. My alma mater and I look forward to your future works. Your thoughts are certainly highly needed for the progress of the nation,” she said.
This inauguration further reinforces Universitas Tarumanagara’s commitment to producing legal research that is relevant and impactful for the development of the national legal system, particularly in land regulation issues closely related to public needs.
(VA/YS)