ESDM Wants to Involve the Community

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ignasius Jonan called for energy management in Indonesia to involve the community. Communities around natural resource center locations must benefit because the exclusive management model is outdated.

Ignasius Jonan

Jonan said that in his welcoming speech at the handover ceremony from the Acting Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in Jakarta.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arcandra Tahar, two former Ministers of Energy and Mineral Resources, Purnomo Yusgiantoro and Sudirman Said as well as officials in the ESDM sector, both private and government.

"The concept of development in the energy sector, whether it is gas management, oil exploitation, and so on, if I look at Bontang East Kalimantan or Arun in Aceh, the concept has always been pockets. The community is seen as alienated. For me, there is no need for a bag concept, "said Jonan.

According to Jonan, the community around the resource center must be involved in management. He said that the construction of the bag model was outdated.

He alluded to the onshore energy development of the Masela Block gas, the local community must benefit as much as possible. Regarding priority tasks in the ESDM sector, Jonan added, there are many tasks that must be completed.

This included the completion of the Masela Block development plan in Maluku, about the relaxation of concentrate exports, the revision of two oil and gas laws, as well as mineral and coal mining, or the 35,000-megawatt power plant.

Satya Widya Yudha

Commission VII member of the House of Representatives who is a work partner of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Satya Widya Yudha, said there should be no "twin suns" in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. He reminded that the conductor at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources remains in the hands of the minister. 

  Trisakti University energy observer, Pri Agung Rakhmanto, added, because Jonan and Arcandra are fairly new figures in the ESDM sector, both of them need to work extra fast and hard.

Kompas, Page-18, Tuesday, Oct 18, 2016