Widi Island In North Maluku Enters The Foreign Auction Site, Minister Trenggono Ultimatum For Licensing

JAKARTA - Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Sakti Wahyu Trenggono emphasized that he would oversee activities on Widi Island. Including the use of marine space in the North Maluku region.

He asked the management of Widi Island, namely PT Leadership Islands Indonesia (LII), to immediately take care of licensing and obey the rules if they take advantage of natural resources (SDA) in the coastal area of Indonesia.

"We from the KKP (Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) as long as the manager has not carried out activities, we are silent. However, when we are active at sea, we will definitely ask for permission," Trenggono said when met on the sidelines of his activities in Nusa Dua, Bali, Tuesday, December 6, confiscated by Antara.

He admitted that he did not tolerate the reason the permit had not been issued but the use of the sea space was running. Sakti emphasized that activities such as what he said would be subject to forced stops.

"We stopped it," said Trenggono.

Trenggono then explained that any manager or party who wants to use the sea space must apply for a utilization permit. From that stage, he continued, the government would check starting from activity plans to threats of use of nature's sustainability, especially the ocean.

He emphasized that the KKP is committed to continuing to maintain and manage coastal areas and small islands.

"So, if you heard yesterday that an island was auctioned, that's one that must be guarded. We should not be careless in the ocean," he said.

On a different occasion, a senior KKP official said that the management of Pulau Widi had not yet obtained a permit for the approval of the suitability of sea space utilization activities (PKKPRL).

PKKPRL is a requirement that must be met by managers when they want to use the sea space, including coastal areas and small islands.

"Based on data, currently PT LII does not yet have PKKPRL for the use of the waters of the Widi Islands," said KKP Marine Space Management Director General Victor Gustaaf Manoppo from his official statement, Monday, December 5.

Widi Island in North Maluku is in the public spotlight after the island's name was included in the list of foreign auction sites Sotheby's Concierge Auctions based in New York, United States.

However, the management through its written broadcast straightened the news that PT LII and Sotheby's Concierge Auctions did not try to sell Widi Island through the auction process.

PT LII in the same press release explained that it is working with Sotheby's Auction Concierge to find potential investors who can become partners in developing the Widi Islands.