Indonesia
All parties eligible to manage mining permits, including religious groups and universities, must go through a selection process that is necessary to ensure fairness and equal treatment, according to a Constitutional Court ruling.
Heavy machinery operates in a coal mining site at Sumber Batu village, West Aceh regency, Aceh on May 24, 2024. (Antara/Syifa Yulinnas)
The Constitutional Court has ruled that the government cannot directly award mining permits to selected recipients, including religious organizations and universities, and asserted such licenses must instead be granted through a clear, transparent and objective selection process.On Thursday, the court partially granted a petition challenging several provisions in the revision of the Mineral and Coal Mining Law passed last year.
One of the challenged articles allows the central government to grant priority allocations of mining business license areas (WIUP) by directly appointing cooperatives, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), businesses owned by religious organizations and, under certain conditions, universities.
