KONTAN.CO.ID – JAKARTA. The government has mandated that exports of natural resource commodities be centralized through the state-owned export company, PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI).
PWYP Indonesia National Coordinator Aryanto Nugroho believes this export centralization could increase risks if there is no transparency in the governance of natural resource exports.
“This scheme risks shifting the problem rather than solving it — from governance ambiguity involving many private exporters to a single giant state-owned enterprise,” Aryanto said in an official statement on Thursday (May 21, 2026).
Aryanto argued that the government often uses Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution to justify policies related to commodity control.
However, according to him, the article does not automatically justify SOE monopolies; rather, it emphasizes the principles of accountability and public welfare in natural resource management.
Moreover, based on past experience, Indonesia has had bitter experiences with centralized commodity monopolies that lacked adequate accountability mechanisms.
Aryanto also warned that whenever economic schemes are centralized without an accountability framework, the risks of corruption, rent-seeking, and political capture increase.
“The experience of the BPPC (Clove Buffer and Marketing Agency) during the New Order era, the long-running problems surrounding Bulog, and several state trading enterprises embroiled in scandals all show the same pattern: centralization without checks and balances is not a solution, but an escalation of risk,” Aryanto said.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), Bhima Yudhistira, believes that establishing a state-owned export company for several commodities, including coal, could prolong the use of natural resources as both an energy source and a source of state revenue.
This comes despite the government’s own commitment to accelerate the energy transition in the near future.
Bhima also stated that this export centralization should not only be viewed as a way to increase state revenue. It should also be seen as a government maneuver to reshape natural resource supply chains to meet domestic demand, especially for coal and palm oil.
This is linked to plans to add 6.3 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power plants in the 2025–2034 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL), as well as 11 GW of captive coal power plants for industrial estates.
“Coal exports under strict single-gate control become a disincentive for businesses, increasing the risk of higher domestic coal procurement. Indonesia will find it increasingly difficult to escape the coal lock-in trap, because coal is perceived as readily available in the domestic market. The economic rationale for switching to renewable energy becomes further constrained,” Bhima explained.
Source: Kontan.co