- The Attorney General's Office [Kejagung] has named the suspects in the alleged corruption case in the tin mining trade system in the Bangka Belitung Islands for the 2015-2022 period.
- Corruption that occurs in the tin mining trade system in the Bangka Belitung Islands is because the state gives access and utilization authority to PT . Timah and his partners [entrepreneurs].
- Losses due to the impact of tin mining activities in the Bangka Belitung Islands will exceed IDR 271 trillion, if calculated from tin mining activities at sea.
- The arrest of tin mining corruption suspects does not mean that the problem of the impact of tin mining on the Bangka Belitung Islands is over. The government must restore the natural landscape and conditions of the people in the Bangka Belitung Islands.
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| Suspect in Tin Corruption Case Has Been Named, Bangka Belitung Landscape Must Be Restored |
The Attorney General's Office [Kejagung] has named the suspects in the alleged corruption case in the tin mining trade system in the Bangka Belitung Islands for the 2015-2022 period. Will the damage to the landscape as a result of tin mining activities in the Bangka Belitung Islands soon recover?
Since the beginning of February 2024, the Attorney General's Office has named several suspects in the alleged corruption case in the trading system of tin commodities in the PT Mining Business License [IUP] area. Timah Tbk for the 2015-2022 period.
These suspects are not only well-known businessmen in the Bangka Belitung Islands, they are also former officials at PT. Tin. The businessmen who are suspects include Tamron alias Aon, Suwito Gunawan alias Awi, Gunawan alias MBG, Hasan Tjhie alias Asin, and former PT officials. Timah, such as Mochtar Riza Pahlevi [former President Director 2016-2021], Emil Ermindra alias Emil [former Finance Director 2017-2018]. The other suspects are Achmad Albani, Kwang Yung alias Buyung, and Robert Indarto.
How much loss did the state suffer from the actions of these suspects?
The Attorney General's Office, through a team of experts from the Bogor Agricultural Institute [IPB], represented by Bambang Hero Suharjo, estimates that the economic losses from the suspects' actions reached IDR 271.06 trillion. This loss calculation is based on Minister of Environment Regulation No. 7 of 2004 .
Losses in forest areas, namely environmental [ecological] losses amounting to IDR 157.8 trillion, environmental economic losses amounting to IDR 60.2 trillion, and environmental restoration cost losses amounting to IDR 5.2 trillion. "The total is IDR 223,366,246,027,050," said Bambang at the Attorney General's Office , Jakarta, Monday [19/2/2024].
Losses in non-forest areas, namely environmental [ecological] losses amounting to IDR 25.8 trillion, environmental economic losses amounting to IDR 15.2 trillion, and environmental restoration cost losses amounting to IDR 6.6 trillion. In total, IDR 47.7 trillion.
Bambang explained that this figure was obtained from calculating environmental damage as a result of tin mining activities in the Bangka Belitung Islands. Based on the IUP [Mining Business License] the area of tin mining on land is 349.65 thousand hectares. Of this area, 170.36 thousand hectares have been excavated or mined.
Of this area, around 88.9 thousand hectares in the area have IUP. Around 81.46 thousand hectares are in areas without IUP.
Tin mining in a forest area of 75.35 thousand hectares. Mining is not only in production forests, it is also in conservation areas. For example, in the Protected Forest [HL] area covering an area of 13.87 thousand hectares, the Grand Forest Park [Tahura] covering an area of 1,238 thousand hectares, and in the National Park area [Gunung Maras NP] covering an area of 306,456 hectares. Meanwhile, the non-forest area that has been mined is 95,017 thousand hectares.
"Based on our calculations, almost one million hectares [915.8 thousand hectares] of land and sea mines have been opened," said Bambang. The mining area on land is 349.6 thousand hectares, and at sea it is 566.2 thousand hectares.
Dr. Fitri Ramdhani Harahap, from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Bangka Belitung University [UBB], assessed that the corruption that occurred in the tin mining trade system in the Bangka Belitung Islands was because the state gave access and utilization authority to PT. Timah and his partners [entrepreneurs].
"This authority to access and utilize is a system, which Garret Hardin said is a reasonable mechanism for obtaining welfare, in this case profits."
Garret Hardin [1968] wrote an article entitled “ Tragedy of the Common ”. The article describes how the natural resources that humans access and utilize do not have clear rules and result in tragedy.
"Essentially, this corruption occurred because the government issued a policy that provided opportunities for tin to be mined, not only by PT. Tin," he said.
The legal basis, starting from Law no. 22 of 1999 concerning Regional Government and Law no. 25 of 1999 concerning Financial Balance of Central and Regional Governments. Then the Bangka Belitung Islands Government issued Regional Regulation no. 6 of 2001 concerning General Mining Management.
Furthermore, Regional Regulation Number 20 of 2001 concerning Determination and Regulation of Trade Procedures for Strategic Goods, Regional Regulation Number 21 of 2001 concerning Taxes on General Mining and Other Associated Minerals, and Regional Regulation Number 10 of 2002 concerning Management and Utilization of Kolong.
Maybe much bigger
Jessix Amundian from Tumbek for Earth said, we appreciate what the AGO has done. "Hopefully this law enforcement will stop environmental crimes in the Bangka Belitung Islands."
However, he continued, the calculation of ecological losses calculated by Bambang Hero Suharjo and his friends may not have been calculated comprehensively. This is because tin mining activities in the Bangka Belitung Islands cause various ecological and social disasters. It started with a conflict between tin miners and local [customary] communities. For around 480 thousand indigenous communities in coastal areas, their income from fishing has decreased or disappeared.
“For example, the ecological losses from tin mining at sea may be much greater than on land. "This can be seen from the damage to coral reefs, the death or disappearance of various marine biota and mammals, the destruction of mangroves, the decline of land on small islands, attacks by various diseases such as malaria, and the loss of living space for coastal communities in the Bangka Belitung Islands who live in 160 villages," he said. Jessix.
Coral reefs, which previously covered an area of 82,259.84 hectares, now have 12,474.54 hectares remaining. The mangrove area, which previously covered an area of 273,692.81 hectares, remains at 33,224.83 hectares.
Furthermore, people in the Bangka Belitung Islands are repeatedly affected by flooding, sea water intrusion, abrasion, and damage to houses due to tornadoes.
"Not to mention the many children who have dropped out of school, as well as the attacks of various deadly diseases," he stressed.
Bambang Hero to Indonesia confirmed that the calculation of losses does not include the impact of tin mining activities at sea. "The loss of IDR 271 trillion does not include environmental losses from mining tin sand in the sea," he said.
Restore immediately
Jessix explained that the arrest of tin mining corruption suspects does not mean that the issue of the impact of tin mining on the Bangka Belitung Islands is over.
“The government must resolve the various problems it has left behind. Starting from restoring damaged natural landscapes, as well as restoring the condition of people in the Bangka Belitung Islands who live in poverty, have lost their living space, and have disturbed health. "In fact, various traditional communities are also threatened with losing their identity due to their living space being confiscated."
"If this is not addressed immediately, it seems difficult to suppress the birth of new criminals related to tin mining. Because, for dozens of years, this crime has indirectly involved some people in carrying out illegal tin mining. "Both local people and immigrants from outside the Bangka Belitung Islands," explained Jessix.
In order to prevent acts of corruption in the trading system of tin commodities from recurring, the rules must be clarified and enforced.
"In this case, the rules regarding governance in access and utilization of tin mining commodities," explained Fitri.