Prabowo Orders Bahlil to Revoke Mining Permits in Protected Forest Areas

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, to revoke all Mining Business Permits (IUP) located in protected forest areas.

This was conveyed by Prabowo during a briefing to ministry and agency officials at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4).

“I have also ordered the Minister of ESDM. I received reports of hundreds of unclear mines or unclear IUPs (Mining Business Permits) in protected forests and other forests,” said Prabowo.

“So there are several hundred. The Minister of ESDM should immediately evaluate them; if they are unclear, revoke them all, revoke all those IUPs,” he continued.

Prabowo stated that this step is an effort to defend the interests of the people and not the interests of certain groups.

“We no longer have time to be too sympathetic; there is no sympathy. Now we are only defending national interests and the interests of the people. The interests of friends, cronies, family, groups are secondary; evaluate everything,” he remarked.

Furthermore, Prabowo asked Bahlil to immediately evaluate those illegal mining permits within one week.

“We revoke all IUPs whose principles are not in order; we revoke them. They must be in the hands of the state, and then we can strengthen our institutions and agencies,” he said.

Previously, Prabowo had revoked permits for 28 companies proven to have violated forest damage and triggered disasters in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, on Tuesday, 20 January.