Deputy Governor Emil Dardak Supports Trenggalek Regent Nur Arifin In Refusing Gold Mining

Deputy Governor of East Java, Emil Dardak. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of East Java Emil Elestianto Dardak supported Trenggalek Regent Muhammad Nur Arifin in his efforts to refuse gold mining by signing the chng.it/bzQcdtBC petition.

"I tried to really uphold when I became Regent of Trenggalek, so I support the struggle of the Trenggalek Regent and the community to refuse to continue mining before it becomes clear about the social, environmental, and economic benefits of the people", he said in Surabaya, quoted from Antara, Friday, March 12.

The number two person in the East Java Provincial Government explained that in the "Nawa Bhakti Satya" program there is East Java Harmony, which emphasizes the harmony of development with the environment.

This means, he said, not necessarily anti-mining, but the main concern must be pro-environment and pro-people.

"As well as ensuring that environmental impacts and risks are mitigated and the community gets a lot of good", said the former Trenggalek Regent.

Meanwhile, Emil Dardak in a tweet on his Twitter @EmilDardak explained that the first time the Mining Authority was issued through a Regent Decree 702/2005 (2005) than an exploration mining business license through the Regent's Decree 188.45/963/406.004/2012.

"I was appointed Regent of Trenggalek first in February 2016. I am a former Regent of Trenggalek who inherited an exploration permit that existed before I became regent", wrote Emil.

Arumi Bachsin's husband was disappointed because his commitment to ensuring the transparency of the Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) had not been fulfilled.

"I am disappointed that the commitment to ensure transparency of environmental and social impacts on the community has not been fulfilled as a precondition for the continuation of the next permit, and as the Deputy Governor of East Java who is also the former Regent of Trenggalek, I do not know the process of issuing the exploitation permit", he said.

Previously, Trenggalek Regent Mochamad Nur Arifin's firm stance against the massive exploitation of gold mines in his area sparked public sympathy, which led to support through the petition-raising movement "Support the Trenggalek Regent to Refuse Gold Mining in Trenggalek" on the change.org page.

Mas Ipin, as he is usually called, rejected the plan to exploit gold mines in his area by PT Sumber Mineral Nusantara (SMN) because it collided with many regulations.

Apart from that, he continued, it is not in line with the regional spatial plan and is not visible to the social conditions of the area, which the majority have rejected since exploration.

"Initially there was something that in my opinion was not completed during exploration, then it was upgraded to an exploitation permit. I failed to understand", said Regent Nur Arifin in his written clarification.