“Maybe next week, we will once again invite colleagues from the KPK to reconcile such data,” Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said at a press conference at the KPK Headquarters in Jakarta on Thursday.
He emphasized that data synchronization is essential because mines operating without PPKH can severely damage forests and contribute nothing to the state.
“I would like to reiterate that I, as a minister, have been mandated to deal with such mines in a bid to safeguard our forests,” Antoni stressed.
The minister also highlighted that there remain significant disparities between data on non-PPKH mines held by his ministry and other state institutions.
“There is a gap of around 50 thousand hectares of mines between our data and KPK’s. In fact, our data is still asynchronous with the data of the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP),” he pointed out.
He affirmed that the Ministry of Forestry will continue to coordinate with the anti-graft agency before the meeting takes place, adding that the two institutions intend to address possible errors or incomplete data collection and differing methodologies.
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“A team from our Directorate General of Forest Management Planning has been in intensive coordination with the KPK’s prevention and monitoring department to calculate the potential losses in detail. I repeat, data reconciliation is crucial,” he added.
Furthermore, the minister assured that the government will make the results of the synchronization public.
“Once the data is solid, we will convey it to all of you,” he told reporters.
At the same press conference, KPK chairperson Setyo Budiyanto highlighted that his commission has submitted the results of studies on mine governance to seven ministries, including the Forestry Ministry.
He said that approximately 4,775 mines holding business permits have ceased operations, while 4,252 others are still active.
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Translator: Rio F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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