“Octopus mafia oil and gas in Indonesia does not only occur at the national level but has entered the regional level,” said a member of the Oil and Gas Governance Reform Team (TRTKM), Fahmy Radhi in the Riau Civil Society Consolidation to Strengthen Advocacy in the Extractive Sector organized by FITRA Riau in collaboration with Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, Monday, December 29, 2014, in Riau.

In the event which was attended by some activists and students, Fahmi Radhy conveyed various efforts that are being made by TRTKM to close the movement of oil and gas mafia by encouraging transparency in oil and gas governance through the revision of laws and regulations as well as rearranging oil and gas management institutions.

Fahmy Radhi also said that support from the public, especially CSOs and students, is very important to strengthen the performance of TRTKM. “It must be recognized that efforts to counter-attack the oil and gas mafia to TRTKM increasingly massive so that synergy between TRTKM and civil society is necessary”

Maryati Abdullah, PWYP Indonesia’s National Coordinator, invited all activists and students in Riau to strengthen advocacy in the extractive sector with the momentum of Minerba Coordination and Supervision by the Corruption Eradication Commission in Riau Province in 2015 or TRTKM who worked for the next 6 months.

Alamsyah Saragih, Former Chairman of the Central Information Commission said that Law No. 14 of 2008 on Public Information Openness (KIP) has guaranteed the rights of the public to public information including public information in the oil and gas sector. Alamsyah also explained the opportunities and challenges of civil society and local government in promoting transparency in the extractive sector, including the use of this information.

On this occasion, civil society representatives in Riau shared experiences about the struggle of the people of Riau asking for regional participation (BUMD) in managing oil and gas blocks and how closed public access is related to data relating to the oil and gas sector. Civil society in Riau also questioned how the strength of TRTKM recommendations after the next 6 months, given the various experiences related to the formation of the task force, the recommendation was not executed by the government.

The forum produced several recommendations including the need for the Revision of the Oil and Gas Law to prevent the oil and gas mafia and civil society in Riau from committing to oversee the implementation of Korsup Minerba and the work of TRTKM