Muhammadiyah Reminds The Need For Clear Provisions If Universities Manage Mining

Mining contractor activity of PT Putra Perkasa Abadi at a coal mine site in South Kalimantan. (ANTARA/HO-PPA)

JAKARTA - The Muhammadiyah Central Executive reminded the Legislation Body (Baleg) of the DPR to include clear provisions regarding the opportunity for universities to manage mining as regulated in the Draft Law on the Fourth Amendment to the Law on Mineral and Coal.

"This needs to be clarified, in our opinion," said the representative of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive, Syahrial Suandi in the General Hearing Meeting (RDPU) of the Legislation Body of the DPR regarding the Draft Law on the Fourth Amendment to Law Number 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal (RUU Minerba) in Jakarta, Wednesday, January 22, confiscated by Antara.

Currently there are, including Article 51A which regulates the opportunity for universities to manage mines.

Article 51A paragraph (1) which states that WIUP metal minerals can be given to universities in a priority way.

Then, Article 51A paragraph (2) regulates the consideration of granting mining business permit areas (WIUP) to universities, one of which is the requirement for university accreditation that can manage mining land, which is the lowest accredited B.

Then, Article 51A paragraph (3) conveys further provisions regarding the provision of WIUP to universities regulated based on government regulations (PP).

According to Syahrial, this provision needs to be clarified, especially regarding the requirements of universities that can manage mines. He said not all universities in the country have a mining or geological study program (prodi).

Thus, their ability to manage mines is questionable.

Then, he continued, not all universities that have mining and geological study products have good accreditation.

"We see that not all universities have the ability and have mining and geological programs. Even if they have mining and geological products, not all of them have the best accreditation, even though we see that mining management is an activity from upstream to downstream, integrated into all existing aspects," he said.

Previously, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council of the Republic of Indonesia Ahmad Doli Kurnia said that universities that will manage mining areas must have business entities, as applies to religious organizations.

"Yes, of course (owning a business entity), that's why we are discussing it now," said Doli.

He conveyed that the pattern between granting special mining business permits to universities and religious organizations would have almost the same pattern.

In the future, he said, it will be discussed about who will be put forward between the priority of managing mining land to religious organizations or universities.