TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Downstreaming is SBY legacy, says Democrats' Agus
The Democratic Party chairman has credited the presidency of his father Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the originator of the downstreaming policy, while giving a nod to the current administration's intensified efforts and expressing his belief that if elected, Prabowo-Gibran would continue the program.
Change Size
Smoke rises on Feb. 10, 2023 from a nickel smelter operated by Chinese miner Virtue Dragon Nickel Industry (VDNI) in Morosi, Southeast Sulawesi. (AFP/Adek Berry)
Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, better known by his initials AHY, has said the downstream program implemented by the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was a legacy of his father, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).
"The downstreaming program has been carried out since 2013 during the era of president SBY’s administration, especially in the mining sector," Agus said on Tuesday, as quoted by state-owned news agency Antara.
Agus said the government had also banned raw material exports and required mining companies to establish smelters near mines under Susilo.
That policy required smelter development to consider the natural landscape to prevent environmental damage, he added.
"This step [downstreaming] is now being intensified during President Jokowi's administration. Going forward, we must strengthen downstreaming in key sectors [that have] a broad economic impact on the people," Agus said, as quoted by news portal detik.com.
“This includes agro-maritime [industry] to improve the welfare of farmers, breeders, planters and fishermen,” he added.
Agus also said he was optimistic that presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka would carry on with the downstreaming program if elected.
