Adat moeda (“young adat”), also called adat baroe (“new adat”), was the name given in certain districts of Atjeh — among them the landschap (territory) Sawang in the onderafdeeling (subdivision) Lho’ Seumaweh — to the fine imposed for evasion of the beschikkingsrecht, consisting in the confiscation of ten per cent of the harvest, or of the proceeds in the event of sale or other alienation of the land concerned.
Relation to the older penalty
In former times, D. W. N. de Boer recorded, evasion of the right of avail was punished by outright verbeurdverklaring — confiscation of whatever had been cleared without permission. The adat moeda was a later and milder system of fines that developed alongside that penalty.
Evidence of recent origin
De Boer treated the institution as demonstrably recent. Both its Malay name and the absence even of a proper Atjehnese term for it pointed, in his judgement, to “de nieuwigheid van dit instituut” — the newness of the institution.
Restriction to gardens
The fine was said to be applied only in respect of gardens. De Boer explained this as a practical consequence: it was as good as impossible to lay out a new sawah clandestinely, whereas the laying out of a garden in the forest or in the mountains could long remain unnoticed, so that in practice evasion of the right of avail would be attempted only with gardens.
See Also
- Beschikkingsrecht in Atjeh
- Sawang
- Lho’ Seumawe
- Haq radja taléë
- Het recht op den grond in Atjeh (De Boer)
Source
Het recht op den grond in Atjeh, by D. W. N. de Boer, dated Scheveningen, November 1931, pp. 59-80. Offprint DLP-141, Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, ‘s-Gravenhage; Bibliotheek KITLV accession 0060 4460 60 081470 428.