Jakarta-The Civil Society Coalition who focuses to encourage the reform of extractive resources governance, Publish What You Pay Indonesia asks Joko Widodo to issue the regulation about mining moratorium immediately in order to increase the mining governance, moreover it is in line with Coordination and Supervision of KPK in mining sector, to regulate the problematic mining permits that are on conservation and protected forest land.
National Coordinator of PWYP Indonesia said that the moratorium regulation is expected to describe the technical and detail description about its mechanism. According to her, the mechanism is important in order the related ministry and stakeholders such as Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Energy, Mineral Resource and Regional Government could implement it immediately. “The promise to do moratorium was announced a month ago, we hope that is not a promise without realization. President has to arrange the regulation immediately,” said Maryati firmly, Monday (16/5).
As known, Joko Widodo stated the importance of Oil Palm Plantation and Mining permit moratorium on National movement of wildlife rescue on Karya Island, Seribu Island in 14th April 2016.
The coordinator of Anti-Corruption Movement (GeRAK) Aceh, Askalani said that moratorium has to be executed immediately. Askalani explained that reflecting from the mining moratorium policy which is done by Aceh Government through The Governor Instruction Number 11/2014 about Coal and Mineral Mining permit moratorium which is imposed for two years has positive impact for the improvement of mining sector governance. “The moratorium was success to curb the accelerating of deforestation and land damage in Aceh,” said Askal.
Besides that, moratorium policy also promote reform in licensing sector and reclamation guarantee and post mining compliance. “That’s why moratorium is a right step to improve mineral and coal mechanism in Indonesia,” affirmed Askalani.
Askalani state that during the moratorium, Aceh was success to revoke Mining Business License from 138 active permits to 58 active permits, furthermore CnC and the rest were revoked by recommendation. Moreover, moratorium is able to restore the land of 407,162 hectares. This successful is also not apart from the role of civil society which escort the moratorium” said Askalani.
Arif Munandar, the Swandiri Institute researcher from West Kalimantan stated that the government needs to learn from the moratorium policy or new license postpone based on the resolution of Forestry Ministry Number SK.323/Menhut-II/2011 in 17th June 2011 about the Implementation of New Permit Postpone Indicative Map, forest exploitation, forest land utilization and the change of forest area designation and other area utilization are considered as fail to give solvency to the improvement of ecological and social improvement.
The main cause is the policy does not encourage the law enforcement towards the permission violation on the moratorium areal. On the practice, extractive sector business permissions are still issued on moratorium area. Right now at least there has been nine times of postpone indicative map amendment. The moratorium map adapted with the permit which do violation on the forest area. It indicates violation of law enforcement commitment towards permit violations on forest land”, said Arif firmly.
According to Arif, now there are lots of overlapping between mining permission and protected forest along with forest conservation. Therefore, the moratorium policy is not supposed to be only focused on new permission termination. The most important thing is the law enforcement towards permit violation which is done by policy make and and the permit receiver or company. Government must certain law enforcement on moratorium. Moreover, we need social conflict solvency, environment condition improvement and permission governance, said Arif.
Carouls Tuah, director of Pokja 30 East Kalimantan expressed his hope for the regulation don’t terminate on the moratorium but enforcing the law. KPK has to be involved on the law enforcement after the moratorium in the aspect of corruption crime,” said Tuah.
Tuah also asked President Joko Widodo to be serious and fulfill his promise to do moratorium. According to him, the bad governance of mining in East Kalimantan, especially in Samarinda seen from many children died on the after mining pit which is not repaired or reclamation. “If moratorium is only a discourse is a plan of seeing many deaths on the after mining pit,” said Tuah.
For information, now there are about 6.3 million hectares of mining permit on concervation forest (1.37 million hectares) and protected forest (4.93 million hectares), meanwhile Law Number 41 year 1999 about Forest stated both area have to be free from mining industry.