JAKARTA: Indonesia’s controversial decision to let religious community organisations manage mining concessions has led to rifts within the country’s two largest Islamic organisations even as their leaders have signalled support for the policy.
The central leadership board of the country’s second-largest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, announced on Sunday (Jul 28) its approval of the government’s policy after months of deliberation.
Muhammadiyah general secretary Abdul Mu’ti said at a press conference that the organisation is now prepared to accept mining concessions to operate state-owned mines.
Its decision follows that of the country’s largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama, which expressed its support about a week after President Joko Widodo’s administration introduced the policy in May. The two groups have an estimated total of over 100 million followers in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Critics have slammed the government’s policy as a move by Mr Widodo to reward the religious groups that mobilised support for his perceived candidate of choice in February’s presidential election.
Although Mr Widodo stopped short of endorsing his defence minister Prabowo Subianto in the election, his administration announced public programmes that were widely seen to favour Mr Prabowo, whose vice-presidential partner is Mr Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Mr Prabowo went on to win the Feb 14 election by a landslide.
Environmental groups questioned if religious organisations are suitable entities to operate mines and warned of the potential to trigger greater environmental damage.
Religious organisations may antagonise local communities when negative impacts of mining activities arise, some activists noted.
Environmentalists have also criticised the religious groups’ support for the policy. Civil society group Cik Di Tiro staged a protest last Saturday at ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta University, urging Muhammadiyah to reject the mining offer.
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) Mining Advocacy Network’s (JATAM) campaigner Alfarhat Kasman said Muhammadiyah’s narrative of wanting to develop an environmentally-friendly mining model was an empty promise.
There is no mining operation that does not damage the environment, water and food sources of local communities, he was quoted as saying by BBC Indonesia.