- VIVAnews/Edy Gustan
VIVAnews – Conflicts on mining have surfaced, especially in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara. It all started from a clash between local residents and the officers in Sape Port, which killed 2 people. The latest was the arson of the Regent’s office and electoral commission office, which ended with the release of prisoners on January 26.
Deputy Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Denny Indrayana, said that anyone who conducts business must run operation according to the existing regulations and norms.
“If a person possesses any kinds of concession, for example, on mining, then we’re supposed to respect one's rights,” he said today, Jan 31.
The problem is that not all mining concessions were obtained properly. “On the other side, if the company obtained the license improperly or against regulations or with any indication of corruption, then law enforcement must be done. In truth, our regulations are quite clear,” added Denny.
Therefore, any policies related with licensing must be reviewed carefully. “Data from the Directorate of Mining shows that 4,000 unclear and unclean mining licenses have been issued. We need to conduct an audit of the licenses,” he said.
Denny gave an example of a case in South Kalimantan. “There’s a small island there without any business licenses. But prior to the governor’s election, all of a sudden there were 5 coal mining concessions issued,” he said.
Denny explained that the mining licensing procedures should be studied whether the procedures were according to the mechanism or not.
“Of course, the investors also need a legal assurance for their businesses, but we also need to ensure that our law enforcement is being obeyed.”
Previously, the Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources, Jero Wacik, stated that there are too so many mining licenses issued by local leaders. However, these leaders did not consult with the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources.
