By: Saby Kossay )*
The government has shown a strong commitment to protecting the environmental sustainability of Raja Ampat by carrying out strict supervision of nickel mining activities that have recently become the focus of public attention. This step deserves appreciation, considering the importance of protecting the ecosystem in the region from the threat of damage due to massive exploitation of natural resources. We as a society are certainly expected to support the government’s efforts so that the sustainability of Raja Ampat’s nature is maintained for future generations.
The National Human Rights Commission has confirmed that it is ready to conduct direct monitoring at the location to oversee the progress of nickel mining activities in the Raja Ampat Regency area, Southwest Papua. This plan will be implemented next week as a form of serious attention to the problem that has become the public’s concern in the past week.
Anis Hidayah as Chair of the National Human Rights Commission emphasized that her party had taken various initial steps, including communicating with a number of civil society organizations to collect information and initial data. The results of this communication stated that there are six small islands in Raja Ampat that are the location of nickel mines.
These six small islands are known to have been the location of nickel mining activities by five different companies. These companies are PT Gag Nikel on Gag Island, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining on Kawei Island, PT Anugerah Surya Pratama on Manuran Island, PT Nurham on Waigeo Island, and PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa which operates on Batang Pele Island and Manyaifun Island.
Of the five companies holding mining business permits, it is known that four companies have started mining activities, while PT Nurham on Waigeo Island has reportedly not started any activities.
Komnas HAM is also determined to further explore this condition as part of its supervisory and investigative duties which are its authority according to the mandate of Law Number 39 of 1999 concerning Human Rights.
In carrying out future monitoring, Komnas HAM will seek direct meetings with local communities to get a complete picture of the social dynamics that are occurring. Saurlin P. Siagian as the Commissioner for Monitoring and Investigation of Komnas HAM emphasized the importance of untangling the tangled threads of this horizontal conflict.
Saurlin highlighted how videos related to incidents of clashes between residents who are pro and anti mining have occurred, thus urging the need for field investigations to obtain accurate facts.
Not only focusing on social conflicts, Komnas HAM monitoring will also target environmental aspects and follow-up to the government’s recent policy of revoking mining business permits. The government under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto has taken firm steps by revoking four mining business permits in Raja Ampat Regency.
This decision was announced by Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi at the beginning of the week, as clear evidence of the government’s commitment to efforts to protect the Raja Ampat area from the negative impacts of nickel mining.
The four companies whose permits have been revoked by the government are PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Nurham, PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa, and PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining. The decision is a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s direction, who assessed that concrete steps were needed to ensure that the Raja Ampat area was free from the threat of more severe environmental damage. The government hopes that the revocation of these permits will be the beginning of efforts to restore the ecosystem that has already been impacted.
Komnas HAM will also directly review the field conditions related to mining activities that have been stopped. This monitoring is important to be carried out so that it can be known the extent of environmental damage caused by mining activities, as well as what recovery steps must be taken immediately so that the area can be restored properly. This is a shared concern so that no party ignores the damage that has occurred, and all stakeholders are reminded to be responsible for the environment.
The steps taken by the government by revoking the mining business permit in Raja Ampat must be seen as a form of serious commitment in prioritizing environmental sustainability over short-term profits from the exploitation of natural resources.
The community is expected not only to be spectators in this effort, but also to monitor its implementation in the field so that the decision truly provides real benefits for the environment and local residents. The success of this step will be an important example of how the state is present in protecting people’s rights to a healthy and sustainable environment.
Ultimately, the steps to supervise and revoke mining business permits in Raja Ampat are not just policiesministrative, but rather a real form of joint commitment in preserving Indonesia’s valuable natural heritage. Therefore, this government policy certainly needs to receive broad appreciation from all levels of society as evidence of the state’s commitment to environmental issues.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta
