Universities have been proposed to manage mining operations. This proposal was raised during the Plenary Session for the Drafting of the Bill on Minerals and Coal (Minerba), which was held by the Legislative Body of the Indonesian House of Representatives (Baleg DPR RI).
According to reports from various media outlets, the proposal for granting mining business licenses to universities is stated in Article 51A Paragraph (1), which mentions that mining business permits (WIUP) can be granted to universities as a priority.
Dr. Lucas Donny Setijadji, a lecturer in the Department of Geological Engineering, UGM Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM), expressed surprise at the Minerba Bill, which allows universities to manage mines.
He noted that universities’ role is to produce high-quality human resources, not to manage mines like typical mining companies.
“I disagree with the government’s and DPR’s intention to grant universities the right to manage mining operations,” said Dr. Setijadji on Thursday (Jan. 30).
According to him, universities should focus on preparing human resources as higher education institutions. Therefore, universities need to be cautious in positioning themselves in this situation and always respond wisely.
However, if the decision to allow universities to manage mines is eventually mandated, Dr. Setijadji stated that the designated universities must take certain actions.
These include using this opportunity to actively support government agendas, such as the downstream mining program.
Regarding mining downstream activities, Dr. Setijadji, an expert in mineral resource exploration, pointed out that Indonesia currently needs to discover new minerals such as lithium, rare earth metals, and graphite to support downstream acceleration.
“Unfortunately, these metals have not yet been found in Indonesia,” he explained.
Dr. Setijadji emphasized the need for a legal framework to accommodate researchers interested in various mineral and energy resources based on government-funded research and collaborations with multiple donors.
“With this legal framework, universities would also have intellectual property rights over discoveries they make in the future,” he asserted.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photo: Kompas