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Activists stand against mining policies, call for boycott of local elections
Jatam recorded 71 conflicts related to mining operations between 2014 and 2019, despite the decline in mining permit issuance by the government from around 12,000 permits in 2013 to around 8,000 permits in 2019.
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Tugs tow coal barges on the Mahakam River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, in this December 2017 photo. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
E
nvironmental activists have criticized President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for rolling out the red carpet to mining investors at the expense of local people and have called for abstention during the 2020 regional elections as a form of protest.
“Under Jokowi’s regime, the [government’s] dependency on the mining sector, especially coal mining, has become huge,” Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) campaign manager Melky Nahar said during a discussion in Jakarta on Monday.
He said Jokowi’s policies that favor investors and corporations have led to rampant land conflicts in mining concession areas.
Jatam recorded 71 conflicts related to mining operations between 2014 and 2019, despite the decline in mining permit issuance by the government from around 12,000 permits in 2013 to around 8,000 permits in 2019.
“While it’s true that the number of permits issued is decreasing, the trend of conflict is rising. Both the scale and patterns of conflict are deteriorating,” Melky said.
Among the conflicts, there were 12 cases of shootings by security forces and 36 cases of criminal charges against 205 activists and residents who protested against mining operations, according to Jatam’s data.
Activists who oppose mining operations have been charged under various laws including Article 162 of the 2009 Coal and Mineral mining Law, Article 335 of the Criminal Code on the use of violence and Article 107a of the 1999 law on the prohibition of the communist ideology, which was used against environmental activist Budi Pego in 2018.
