Zulhas reveals PSEL journey began with President Prabowo's challenge

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has revealed that the journey towards the Waste-to-Energy (PSEL) facility began with a challenge from President Prabowo Subianto to solve the waste problem. “It started at a meeting with the President. He asked how we can progress if we cannot even manage our waste. In Bali, tourists are protesting; how do we solve this? Everyone eventually commented, but I remained silent because, in my heart, waste was not my concern,” Zulhas said in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday. Eventually, President Prabowo specifically directed the question to him as Coordinating Minister for Food. Zulhas then began by requesting the legal basis of a presidential decree and asked for at least two years to resolve the challenge. Coordinating Minister Zulhas subsequently engaged PLN and the then Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, for discussions. It was determined that the waste problem remained unresolved because the regulations were complicated. Beyond the numerous requirements, waste management initiators were often burdened by convoluted regulations that shunted them from one ministry to another. “The regulations were indeed extraordinarily obstructive to the programmes. I conveyed that all these programmes are the President’s programmes; we are merely overseeing them, while the Governor and Regent are the ones executing them,” he stated. Ultimately, in a short time, the Coordinating Ministry for Food, assisted by Danantara Indonesia, finalised various agreements and selected Bali as the first location for the construction of the PSEL.