Widi Islands No Longer on Auction as Indonesia Drops MoU
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14 December 2022 21:42 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD announced that the government has officially revoked the MoU on the utilization of the Widi Islands in South Halmahera, North Maluku.
The island cluster, according to previous reports, had been offered on an international auction website. The government had revoked the MoU as they deemed its provisions in violation of the country's law.
"The government will drop the MoU as neither its content nor the procedure follows any existing laws," said Mahfud in a press conference on December 14.
The decision was made after the central government held a meeting with the North Maluku provincial government along with a number of state ministers. Minister Mahfud asserted that the Widi Islands are not up for auction.
This issue arose after information emerged that the Widi Islands were being auctioned off to international bidders. The Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian on Monday did not deny that there was an initial agreement between the local government and PT Leadership Islands Indonesia (LII) to manage the coastal region.
"In 2015, there was an MoU between LII based in Bali," said Karnavian at the Ministry of Home Affairs office, Central Jakarta, Monday, December 5.
FAJAR PEBRIANTO
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