Jatam’s report about the relationship between mining oligarchy and 2019 election, click Mining Oligarchy Behind The 2019 Election

[Jakarta, 11 February 2019] – The 2019 presidential election have two candidates, the first ones are Joko Widodo & Ma’ruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto & Sandiaga Uno, this election is driven by mining and energy’s business interest.

This can be seen by the circle surrounding the two candidates, there are important names who involved in mining business in Indonesia. Some of the names have crucial positions, which directly as president and vice president candidates or as the national campaign team (Tim Kampanye Nasional or Badan Pemenangan Pasangan Calon).

On Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin’s stronghold, there are names who involve directly in mining and energy business. They are Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, Fachrul Razi, and Suaidi Marabessry, all of these names are in one team called Bravo-5 Team (Tim Bravo 5). Besides these names, there are also Hary Tanoesoedibjo, Surya Paloh, Wahyu Sakti Trenggono, Jusuf Kalla, Jusuf Hamka, Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, Oesman Sapta Oedang, and Aburizal Bakrie.

Meanwhile, on Prabowo-Sandi stronghold is even more obvious. Prabowo and Sandiaga Uno are old mining and energy sectors’ players. Moreover, there are Hutomo Mandala Putra or Tommy Soeharto, Maher Al Gadrie, Hashim Djojokusumo, Sudirman Said, and Zulkifli Hasan.

The aforementioned names have directly involved in mining business, they own mining corporations, stockholders, and abused their power when they had authorities to smooth out the mining expansion by controlling the policies.

The campaign finances of both candidates are allegedly from mining industry, this strengthen the interest of mining entrepreneurs in the 2019 election. Sandiaga Uno has sold his stocks nine times to cover up the campaign finance. Meanwhile, 86% of the campaign finance total that have been reported to general elections commissioner on Jokowi-Ma’ruf camp came from Perkumpulan Golfer TBIG (Golfer Association TBIG) and Perkumpulan Golfer TRG (Golfer Association TRG). The former association is allegedly related to PT Tower Bersama Infrastructure Group and the latter allegedly related to PT Teknologi Riset Global Investama. After tracing these corporations, Wahyu Sakti Trenggono turned out to be the owners of these corporations; he is the treasurer of  Jokowi-Ma’ruf campaign team.

Wahyu Sakti Trenggono, along with Garibaldi Tohir, also the commissioner of PT Merdeka Copper Gold, one of the stockholders of PT Bumi Suksesindo which has been exploiting gold in Tumpang Pitu Mountain, Banyuwangi, East Java.

The donations from Perkumpulan Golfer TBIG and TRG are suspected as a mean to disguise the funds that come from mining business, in which the activity is problematic.

The relationship and involvement in mining business, to campaign finance funds on both candidates which some of the funds come from mining industry show how this election is ridden of mining industry’s interest. This is the mean to ensure and secure mining investments which have been operating and also the upcoming investment. Moreover, this can be one of the ways to be spared for law enforcement.

In the case of gold mining in Tumpang Pitu, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Wahyu Sakti Trenggono and Sandiaga Uno have business relations in the gold mine ownership networks of Tumpang Pitu. There is a high possibility of problematic law enforcement due to the relations between politics and business which involve the aforementioned important people. On the contrary, this kind of relationship easily stop the people’s resistance, like what happened to Budi Pego and other people in Banyuwangi who are criminalized.

Another example of the problematic law enforcement in mining problem can be found in a coal corporation owned by Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in East Kalimantan. The corporation expropriated the land of farmers’ group in Desa Sungai Nangka, Kecamatan Muara Jawa, Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara. Furthermore, PT Adimitra Baratama Nusantara (ABN), Kutai Energi, and Trisensa Mineral Utama are the subsidiaries of Toba Bara Group and these corporations left 36 mining pits. PT ABN created a disaster, several houses collapsed due to the mining activity that are too closed to people’s houses.

These corporations are still active, even in Jokowi-Kalla regime, mining concessions that’s owned by PT BSI and PT BSI in Tumpang Pitu became the National Vital Object (objek vital nasional), the police secure the region 24 hours every day.

JATAM also found business and political relations between political elites and mining entrepreneurs in the cases of mining in small islands. The existence of mining in 55 Indonesia’s small island, notably in Gebe Island, Gee Island, and Wawoni Island in North Maluku related to Fachrul Razi, a retired TNI General (Tentara Nasional Indonesia/Indonesian Armed Forces), who joined the Bravo-5 Team.  Fachrul Razi holds the position as President Commissioner  of PT Central Proteina Prima and the main commissioner of PT Antam. Also, Fachrul is the commissioner of PT Toba Bara Sejahtera, he even has share stocks at PT Antam, a state-owned corporation which has been mining on small islands.

Thus, the hope of people who live in mining areas to escape from the crisis and problems seem impossible. 2019 election, along with the involvement of mining entrepreneurs is potentially widen and deepen the crisis. Therefore, whoever wins the election, the people will always be on the losing side, the people will bear the risk due to the exploitative practice. On the contrary, mining entrepreneurs and political elites that relates to mining industry, will win to continue the extraction to accumulate their own profits.

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