Jokowi's Order on Post-Mining Reforestation Just Gimmick, Says Jatam

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Mining Advocacy Network, or Jatam, coordinator Melky Nahar viewed President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's statement that mining companies are obliged to conduct post-mining reforestation as a mere gimmick.

“Jokowi is never serious, he’s always playing political tricks,” Melky told Tempo today, September 20, 2023.

Earlier reports suggested that President Jokowi, in his speech at the Environment, Climate, Forestry, and New Renewable Energy (LIKE) Festival on Monday, September 18, asked mining companies to rehabilitate the land after mining exploration.

If this is taken seriously, Melky opined, it could start with changing the use of mining pits for tourism, fish ponds, and other purposes, instead of rehabilitating them.

According to him, this is stipulated in the derivative regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation (Permen) No. 26 of 2018, which is Ministerial Decree (Kepmen) Number 1827 K/30/MEM/2018 on guidelines for the implementation of good mining engineering principles.

According to the data of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in 2022 on WebGIS, there are still around 80,000 holes resulting from mining activities. Of the figure, about 55 percent of the holes are the result of coal mining activities totaling 50,098 points and the rest are the result of iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, and bauxite mining.

“If Jokowi is serious [about reforestation], he should’ve changed a number of regulations. It can't just be verbal promises,” Melky said.

President Jokowi warned mining companies that they must rehabilitate the land they used for mining, stressing that he would personally check each one. He also said that the Environment and Forestry Ministry had issued a new regulation that every mining firm must have a nursery center, where they can immediately grow plants to prevent further environmental damage.

ADIL AL HASAN

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