"The government will form a task force to re-examine our outer islands in provinces since there may be a violation in the investment permit utilization, both in the procedure or content," he said in his office in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister conveyed the information after a coordination meeting between ministries and agencies regarding the management of the outer islands.
Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian; Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar; Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono; and the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Yudo Margono, also attended the meeting.
The formation of the task force is the result of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between the North Maluku provincial government, South Halmahera district government, and PT Leadership Islands Indonesia (PT LII) regarding the use of the Widi Islands, which was found to be not in accordance with procedures.
The government has canceled PT LII's MoU for violating procedures. For instance, the MoU was not endorsed by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
"The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has never issued a permit for this. Also, in the middle of the object of the MoU, there is a forest covering an area of more than 1,900 hectares, which is actually not allowed," Mahfud informed.
Along with the cancellation, the government will re-open the chance for other parties to make an investment by utilizing the island, he added.
"If PT LII is interested, they can register again in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations," the minister said.
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Translator: Syaiful Hakim, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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