JATAM | Mining Advocacy Network

Since February 4th, the Indonesian protected forests and production forests are as cheap as fried banana sold by street vendors. Through the Government Regulation (PP) No 2/2008, the investors are given privileges to cut down the protected forests and the production forests to become the mining areas and other business purposes, only by paying IDR 300 per square meter. This PP erases the protective function of the forest areas and sees it only fromto become temporary economic function.

DespiteIn the middle of the concern regarding flood and landslide disasters this coming rainy season, the President issued PP No 2/2008 about the Type and Tariff on type of non-tax state revenues that earned from the utilization of forest areas for development purposecause, aside from other than forestry activities of MinistryDepartment of Forestry.

This regulationPP enables the mining companies to change the protected forests and production forests areas to become big scale mining areas, just by paying IDR 1,8 millions up to IDR 3 millions per hectare. Even far cheaper for the of oil and gas mines, geothermal, telecommunication network, telecommunication repeaterrepeater, radio transmitter station, television relay station, electricity, renewable energy technology installation, water installation, and highwayfreeway. The price has decreased to IDR 1,2 millions up to IDR 1,5 millions.

“That is the cheapest price in history for forest inever issued in during the history of this countryy. Only IDR 120 up to IDR 300 per meter, cheaper than a piece of fried banana sold by a street vendorhuckster,” said Rully Syumanda, the forest campaigner from WALHI.  

“What makes it really ironiceal pain is  that this PP was is issued in the middle of government incompetence to manage the forest. The level of forest destruction during 2005 up to 2006 alone is 2,76 hectares. In addition, it is issued when we suffer floods and landslides in many regions. During 2000 up to 2006, at least 392 flood and landslide disasters happen throughout the country. Thousands of people died, other hundreds of thousand turned into refugees,” added Edi Sutrisno from Sawit Watch.

The impacts of this PP are not hard to imagine, in the middle of the country’s failure to manage the recovery fromof forest destructionamages, the conflict of overlapping land functions, and the handealing with annual environmental disasters.

The ones who cheer aloud areof course the people who have business people in the mining sector, who . The havee been practiced lobbies and threats. They do not like if their mining licenses are hamperedtangled by the status of protected forest. Foreign Multinational mining companies likeas the level of Freeport, Inco, Rio Tinto, Newmont, Newcrest, and Pelsart – are obviously gain advantages from this PP, as well as the national companies such as Bakrie, Medco, Antam, and the others. For this time beingAt the moment, more than 158 mining companies own licenses for protected forests; which count totally forit is about 11,4 millions hectares of forests.

The issue of this PP clearly states where SBY cabinet and the ruling party stand now, the ones who suppose to observe all the actions by the government. SBY cabinet has been standing at the side of the investors consistently, not at the people’s safety.

“This PP insults common sense and will have a serious relationship with all the initiatives of international cooperation and climate changing regarding forestry sector, which are the focus of the world’s attention. If SBY cabinet wants to not farther away from its people and confuses international public, this PP must be annulled,” demand Siti Maemunah, the national coordinator for Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM).

Contact Media:

Luluk Uliyah’s mobile phone: 08159480246; Edi Sutrisno’s mobile phone: 081315849153; Rully Syumanda’s mobile phone: 081319966998.