November 27, 2025 | 02:40 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, said President Prabowo Subianto has instructed officials to strictly and impartially enforce regulations governing operations at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) Airport in Central Sulawesi.
"The President's direction to us, as the task force and as the Minister of ESDM, is to enforce the rules. Do not be biased, because the state must not lose to what is happening that is inappropriate or violates the regulations," said Bahlil at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
Bahlil is still awaiting reports from the team regarding alleged illegal mining activities. He assures that illegal mining activists will be legally processed.
"Mining in areas with nickel or mines but without permits will be legally processed," he said.
He said that the Forest Area Control Task Force (PKH) led by Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has currently deployed a team to the IMIP Airport. However, Bahlil admitted that he did not attend the event.
Bahlil emphasized that his party only handles recommendations for nickel downstream processes. Security and facilities at the airport are the authority of technical ministries with jurisdiction.
"The Ministry of ESDM is in the field of mining, including recommendations for downstream processes. But in securing the objects at the airport, that is the authority of the technical minister," said Bahlil.
Several politicians previously claimed that the IMIP airport, located in the center of the nickel industry, operated without the involvement of government authorities. Member of Commission I of the People's Representative Council, Oleh Soleh, highlighted the absence of the state's role in supervision at the IMIP airport area.
He claimed that no government apparatus-whether aviation authorities, Customs, or Immigration-could enter the area.
Based on this, Oleh Soleh urged the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Finance, as well as defense and security apparatus to take legal steps and enforce regulations.
"This must be thoroughly investigated. The government must not hesitate to take firm action against anyone who operates strategic facilities without state authority. Sovereignty is non-negotiable," said the politician from the National Awakening Party in a written statement quoted on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin considered the airport not being supervised by Customs and Immigration as an anomaly. He viewed that Indonesia's economic sovereignty could be threatened by the existence of the airport.
He will report this finding to President Prabowo Subianto.
"This republic cannot have a republic within the republic. We must enforce all provisions without looking at the background of where they come from," said Sjafrie in a written statement quoted from the Ministry of Defense's website on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
Dian Rahma Fika contributed to the writing of this article.
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