TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has officially granted permission for mass or religious organizations to obtain special Mining Business Permit Areas (WIUPK). This is outlined in the divisive Government Regulation (PP) No. 25 of 2024, which amends PP No. 96 of 2021 concerning the operation of mineral and coal mining business.

The policy has sparked controversy among the public and mass organizations themselves. Many have expressed strong opposition to the policy, citing potential environmental damage and alleged pork barrel politics. However, some organizations have welcomed the policy.

Here is the list of religious organizations planning to apply for authorization to manage mines:

1. Persatuan Islam (Persis)

Deputy Chairperson of the Islamic organization Persis, Atip Latipulhayat, has expressed his support for the government's decision on mining concessions, stating that Persis would set up a company if the government granted the mining license.

2. Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)

Nahdlatul Ulama, one of Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organizations, has confirmed that it would accept a mining license from President Jokowi. Chairman of NU’s executive board (PBNU), Yahya Cholil Staquf, explained that NU needed funds for programs and infrastructure.

“NU needs anything halal that can be a source of income to finance the organization,” Gus Yahya, as he is familiarly called, said at the PBNU office in Central Jakarta on Thursday, June 6.

The President had also pledged to grant mining concessions to NU during its congress in December 2021.

3. Mathla'ul Anwar

The Central Board of Mathla'ul Anwar, a religious organization affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, supported the government's policy on mining business permits for mass organizations.

“Mathla'ul Anwar is ready to support and proactively adopt fair economic policies in the Indonesian society, especially to help [in the areas of] education, preaching, and social,” Mathla'ul Anwar chairman Embay Mulya said in a written statement in Jakarta, on Saturday, June 8.

4. Nahdlatul Wathan (NW)

The Nahdlatul Wathan Executive Board chairman Maulana Syaikh TGKH. L. Gede Muhammad Zainuddin Atsani welcomed and appreciated the government's initiative to prioritize mass organizations to obtain mining concessions.

“To develop the organization, the organizational machine must work. Many parties want to get results without breaking a sweat. We, Nahdlatul Wathan, won’t just sit around and wait for results,” he said in a press release received by Tempo on Tuesday, June 11.

Gede claimed that Nahdlatul Wathan already has several business units to support the organization's activities and has long planned to run a mining business.

“With the presence of PP No. 25 of 2024, God willing, Nahdlatul Wathan will soon apply for a WIUPK. The government's intentions are good, so let's not be suspicious at all,” he said.

RADEN PUTRI | TIM TEMPO | TERAS.ID

Editor’s Choice: List of Mass Organizations Declining to Obtain Mining Permit from Jokowi

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News