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Mining concession plan get mixed reaction from universities
The government's idea to grant mining concessions to tertiary institutions has met with a mixed response, with some universities saying it could have a mutually beneficial outcome for both sectors and at least one professor alleging it is a subversive move to silence critics of the mining industry.
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Heavy equipment is parked on May 27, 2024, at a mining area in Parung Panjang, Bogor regency, West Java. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
T
he government’s plan to grant mineral and coal mining concessions to universities has drawn a mixed reaction from higher education institutions, including some welcoming the idea as a way to improve mining governance and address the funding shortage for academic research.
Agus Muhammad Hatta, vice rector of the 10 November Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya, East Java, said the mining concession plan would “provide economic benefits to universities and surrounding communities”, as quoted in a Feb. 4 article on the ITS News webpage.
Budi Djatmiko, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Private Universities (APTISI), presented a similar take on the government’s plan at a meeting on Monday with the House of Representatives Legislation Body (Baleg) in Jakarta.
“The option is whether to grant the concessions to tycoons and foreigners or to universities, which has thousands of individuals,” Budi told the meeting, as quoted by Tempo.co.
Baleg has been deliberating over the past month a revision to Law No. 4/2009 on minerals and coal, which includes the plan to grant expedited mining concession areas to tertiary institutions with minimum accreditation of level B.
Last May, then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo issued a regulation that allows businesses owned by religious organizations to be eligible for mining permits, “to improve the people’s welfare”.
Read also: Plan to grant universities mining concessions draws flak
