Minerba Law Ratified, Bahlil: Not Everything Needs To Be Tendurized

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia revealed, by passing the mineral and coal bill into law, currently not all WIUPs must be tendered.

"Now everything doesn't have to be tendered, but there are priority awards. This priority will be addressed to religious community organizations, BUMD, BUMN, MSMEs, and Cooperatives," Bahlil said at the Indonesia Economic Summit quoted Thursday, February 20.

This step is taken to provide opportunities for the community to be able to manage the natural resources found in their area. Bahlil also emphasized that the mining that has been operating can continue, but the portion that is still available should be given to the local community.

"So that the people of Jakarta and people of developed areas together, so that they are strong, so that our ratio does not widen, there are too many. We need strong new entrepreneurs. This is what we will encourage as a form of equity," said Bahlil.

Furthermore, for WIUPs that are still overlapping and disputed in court, with the enactment of the new Minerba Law, all of which will be returned to the state. This is done to improve mining governance for the better and avoid legal uncertainty. As for mining downstreaming, it will be prioritized based on an in-depth study to create added value.

Bahlil also emphasized that the ratification of the Fourth Amendment to Law Number 4 of 2009 concerning Mineral and Coal Mining (Minerba) was carried out in order to restore the main objectives of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution (UUD).

"So this is constitutional jihad to restore the spirit, meaning, substance, and purpose of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution where all the wealth of the country - both on land, sea, and air - must be controlled by the state and used as much as possible for the welfare of the people," said Bahlil.