Presidential Chief of Staff Leads Coordination Meeting to Resolve Critical Mineral Export Bottlenecks
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Head of the Presidential Staff Office Dudung Abdurachman chaired a coordination meeting across ministries and agencies to resolve various obstacles facing exports of critical minerals containing rare earth elements (REE), at the Bina Graha Building in the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, on Monday.
“Today I chaired a coordination meeting on the Governance of Critical Rare Earth Element (REE) Mineral Exports. I received reports from several businesspeople about mineral exports being held up. I am coordinating a cross-ministry/agency meeting to strengthen the governance of exports of critical minerals containing rare earth elements,” Dudung said, quoted from his official statement.
The meeting aimed to strengthen export governance whilst responding to reports from business actors regarding associated REE-bearing minerals being held up, such as the case in Pangkal Pinang.
Dudung explained that the obstacle arose because there is as yet no regulation governing the maximum permitted content of associated REE minerals in export commodities.
“If REE is not yet regulated, law enforcement officials must not act arbitrarily. No law enforcement officials, including the TNI, should obstruct exports if no rule has actually been violated,” said the former Army Chief of Staff.
He emphasised that the Presidential Staff Office is coordinating an inter-agency agreement to serve as a guideline on the maximum REE content, so that national export activity is not paralysed by rigid or overlapping rules. According to him, export obstacles have a direct impact on the public’s economic condition.
“We have communicated this, and thank God the directors-general, business actors, the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, and the Attorney General’s Office have been very flexible. We will put the rules in order, but exports must not stop, because that would have a detrimental effect on the public,” Dudung said.
Dudung revealed that many export ships are currently being held up due to fears and hesitation among business actors facing shifting regulations. He stressed that this situation must not be allowed to continue.
He assured that the Presidential Staff Office will regularly hold coordination meetings to address every complaint from the public and business actors, whilst also overseeing the national priority programmes launched by the President.
The coordination meeting was attended by representatives from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, the Attorney General’s Office, Danantara, as well as mining associations and business actors.