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Friday, 08 August 14
MINING DISPUTE IS CRIPPLING LOCAL ECONOMIES IN EASTERN INDONESIA - JG
 - By Iwan Harsono -
It seems as if there’s no end in sight to the series of negotiations between the government and mining companies about the Law on Mineral and Coal Mining (No. 4/2009), especially when taking into consideration the fact that Newmont Nusa Tenggara has opted to file for arbitration against the government of Indonesia. Geographically speaking, most mining giants, like Newmont and Freeport Indonesia, are operating in the Eastern Indonesia Region (KTI), comprising Papua, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi, and the legal uncertainty surrounding mining operations has therefore led to a regional dip in economic growth.
Principally, the purpose of the Mining Law is noble, since it aims to increase the quality of the nation’s mineral exports for the benefit of its citizens, as stated in Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution. To complicate matters, however, several parties have argued that the Indonesian government isn’t ready yet to implement the law. Such circumstances have in turn led to the shutdown of several mineral mining companies across the country, particular in the east, a region rich in lucrative resources such as gold, copper and nickel.
Economic resilience
Currently, Eastern Indonesia is facing major developmental challenges and lately the investment climate has been less than helpful in increasing the region’s economic resilience. Eastern Indonesia has become a region that has suffered the most following the implementation of the Mining Law. At the macro level, this policy has resulted in a significant decrease in economic resilience. For instance, the region’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2014 fell to 4.6 percent (year on year), from 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. Economic growth has struggled in several provinces, the majority of which rely heavily on the mining sector, especially Southeast Sulawesi, Papua, West Papua, West Nusa Tenggara, and West Kalimantan.
West Nusa Tenggara saw its economic growth decrease by 3.94 percent, with the mining industry suffering one of the sharpest declines at 9.82 percent in the first quarter of 2014. To make matters worse, an imbalance in the export-import rate often also leads to an even sharper overall economic decline.
There have been many changes following the implementation of the export ban in January earlier this year, and companies in the mining industry have struggled to cope. Strong sales overseas and the availability of only a limited number of smelters has influenced the production of copper (in Papua and Nusa Tenggara), nickel (in Sulawesi) and bauxite (in Kalimantan), and recently it has even threatened the coal industry as well.
Domino effect
Companies that didn’t see any way to sell their extracted resources were forced to shut down, send their employees home with limited pay or in some cases, dismiss them outright. Based on data from the Indonesia Mining Association, approximately 133,000 employees have been dismissed so far.
Newmont, for instance, sent home 6,400 of its employees in June because stockpiles have been full since last May due to the export ban. As one of the most important contributors to the local economy in West Sumbawa, Newmont’s production halt has impacted both the local and regional economies.
And there will be a domino effect on all other sectors that depend on the mining operations, for instance by providing services, and on the government, which will see a drop in tax and royalty income.
While those who were sent home are still receiving their salaries — albeit not the full amount — the economic impact has affected the communities surrounding the mining site the most, as most of them rely heavily on Newmont’s operations. Most of the small shop owners have complained of having excess stock as spending power continues to fall.
Handayani, a local diner owner, said that before the current economic struggles she often earned as much as Rp 10 million ($850) in a single day, though these days she claims she’s lucky if she can earn Rp 1 million by noon. Consequently, she has been forced to cut the number of her employees down from 12 to six.
When we look at the bigger picture, Newmont claims that the West Sumbawa region stands to lose as much as $726 million per year, the most of which comes from decreasing CSR investment, salaries and domestic purchases. If we take tax and royalties into consideration as well, the number would rise to $887 million annually.
Possible solutions
To strengthen the economy of Eastern Indonesia we will need to improve the regional infrastructure for transportation, specifically through the renovation of ports and airports in strategic cities. Unfortunately, at the moment the fear of losing employment has been on everyone’s mind.
With hindsight being 20/20, in retrospect the government should have prepared a mitigation plan prior to implementing the current regulation. Fear, anxiety and uncertainty have miners and surrounding communities worried. They have no other option but to hope the government steps in and lends a helping hand.
Renegotiations have to be finalized sooner rather than later.
For its part, the government has to be wise if it wants to solve the dispute with those involved. From both a macro and a micro economic perspective, the current mining dispute presents a major obstacle to development in Eastern Indonesia.
Renegotiations should offer a solution that is beneficial for both mining companies and the government in order to ensure that operations can be resumed as soon as possible. And it is crucial that the government prepare a safety net for local communities that depend on mining operations. Finally, a mitigation plan should be included in future mining regulations, specifically one that keeps the welfare of the locals in mind. These steps should be taken quickly if we want to fulfil the promises of our constitution.
Iwan Harsono, a member of the Advisory Board for Economic Resources in West Lombok, is a lecturer in economics at the University of Mataram.
This article was originally published in The Jakarta Globe
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Tuesday, 26 August 14
GOVT ON TRACK TO LIMIT COAL OUTPUT - THE JAKARTA POST
The government has announced that it will proceed with plans to cap the production of coal next year, a move aimed not only at protecting the envir ...
Monday, 25 August 14
4TH ANNUAL FLOATING TERMINALS
4th Annual Floating Terminals
18-20 Nov 2014
Intercontinental Jakarta Midplaza,
Indonesia
Web Site
The Floating Terminal c ...
Monday, 25 August 14
THE BALTIC DRY IS JUMPING, BUT DON'T DRAW ANY BROAD CONCLUSIONS - NASDAQ
Those who consistently preach doom and gloom and see an economic apocalypse around every corner would make me laugh if it weren’t for the fac ...
Monday, 25 August 14
COAL CEOS: DEMISE OF COAL 'EXAGGERATED' - MARK WILCOX
By Mark Wilcox
Heads of some of the largest coal companies in Wyoming are saying the demise of coal has been exaggerated, though the industry def ...
Monday, 25 August 14
INDO COAL SWAPS W-O-W: NEGATIVE; M-O-M: POSITIVE
COALspot.com: Indonesian coal swaps for average September 2014 decreased US$ 0.15 (-0.28%) day on day and US$ 0.65 (-1.19%) per mt week on week. Th ...
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- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
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- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
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- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
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- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
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- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
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- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
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- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
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- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
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- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
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- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
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- Minerals Council of Australia
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- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
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- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
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- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
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- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
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- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
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- Eastern Coal Council - USA
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- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
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