Indonesian mining contracts and licenses — the documents detailing the government’s agreements with companies for the exploitation of minerals — remain out of public view despite legislation and court orders that support their publication. While Indonesian civil society groups strongly support publication, the government has defended its nondisclosure of mining contracts and licenses on the basis that they include confidentiality clauses or that disclosure will hurt the commercial competitiveness of the companies. Yet, 44 other countries have already started disclosing extractive industry contracts and licenses. This is a shame for Indonesia considering that national legal provisions mean it could be a leader in this global trend. Contract disclosure benefits not only governments and citizens, but also the private sector. Industry players, including mining gian...

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.