Prabowo Rages, Calls Mining Entrepreneurs Without Permits 'Idiots'
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto is angry about the behaviour of entrepreneurs who do not comply with state regulations. There are mining companies whose operating permits have been revoked but are still carrying out mining activities.
In response, Prabowo did not hesitate to state that such entrepreneurs are ‘idiots’. “The permit was revoked by the Republic of Indonesia government 8 years ago, that entrepreneur is an idiot and he continues to carry out mining without a permit. He is mocking the RI,” explained Prabowo during a ceremony at the Attorney General’s Office headquarters in Central Jakarta, Friday (10/4/2026).
The illegal mining activities carried out by those entrepreneurs, according to Prabowo, are tantamount to not respecting the sacrifices of the nation’s heroes who have liberated Indonesia.
“He spits on the sacrifices of those who fell for the independence of the RI, he does not respect the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Therefore, I order the Attorney General to enforce the law, he does not want to cooperate, prosecute him,”
“We do not hesitate and we are not afraid, brothers, the firmer we are, the stronger we become, the more we defend the people, the more we will be opposed and attacked. Do not worry, do not worry, he uses all means of money and funds movements, do not be afraid, we the people believe the people are with us, the people are proud of you,” emphasised Prabowo.
It is known that previously, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia, along with the Minister of Defence (Menhan) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, followed up on the mining company operating without a permit in Murung Raya Regency, Central Kalimantan. The land belongs to PT Asmin Kolindo Tuhup (AKT) covering 1,699 hectares.
Minister Bahlil emphasised that the crackdown on the mining operations of PT Asmin Kolindo Tuhup (AKT) is driven by the absence of official documents from the company.
He revealed that the company had actually been stopped for a long time, so the mining activities of PT AKT cannot be justified. “Indeed, the permit status for this mining site was revoked in 2017,” said Bahlil quoted from the official Instagram account of the PKH Task Force on Wednesday (8/4/2026).
According to Bahlil, the revocation of the permit nine years ago means stopping the company’s operations. All forms of mining activities that continue to run in the area until now are confirmed to be illegal.
“In other words, the mining operations carried out since 2017 until now have no legal basis,” he added.
In line with those steps, the PKH Task Force has retaken control of the 1,699-hectare (ha) land that was previously used as a mining opening area by PT AKT.