Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Muhammadiyah central executive board members have braced for talks about a mining pit and width of concession area the government will give at their meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in the near future.

"We shall discuss the matters with President Jokowi along with Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and also, likely, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif," Muhammadiyah Secretary General Abdul Mu'ti remarked.

Mu'ti, however, did not elaborate on when and where the meeting with President Jokowi and his related cabinet members would take place in his remarks at Aisyiyah University in Yogyakarta on Sunday.

Referring to Government Regulation No. 25 of 2024, which provides religious groups with special mining license areas (WIUPK), he said Muhammadiyah would "very much likely" be given a coal mining concession.

"That is what we have preliminarily received from the government regulation," he remarked.

After several plenary meetings and considering insightful inputs from various credible parties, the Muhammadiyah central executive board finally agreed on the government's offer to grant mining concessions to religious groups in the country on July 13, 2024.

Mu'ti remarked that to follow up on the agreement, Muhammadiyah would establish a special business entity that would be approved by the central executive board's letter of approval.

"We have yet to know this special business entity's name. Insya Allah (God willing), we have experience and human capital to manage it," he noted.

The establishment of the special business entity would also be discussed with those from the Muhammadiyah mining management team.

"Hence, Muhammadiyah does not work alone. Instead, Muhammadiyah will partner with agencies or companies that have extensive experience in managing mining businesses," he affirmed.

As reported earlier, Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization after the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has pledged to run a mining business that favors social welfare and the environment.

Prior to Muhammadiyah, the NU has earlier agreed to the government's grant of mining concessions.

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Translator: Luqman H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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