Legislative team on KPC criticized

The East Kalimantan provincial legislative council?s special team monitoring the divestment program of coal giant PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) has increasingly been criticized including by fellow legislators, saying that the team had exceeded its mandate by actively taking part in the negotiation process, according to a Sunday edition of the local Radar Kaltim daily.

The paper said that deputy speaker of the provincial legislative council Kasyful Anwar has led the criticism toward the council?s special team, which is headed by senior legislator Agus Tamtomo.

Kasyful warned the special team that its public image as well that of the council would be badly affected if it take part actively in the negotiation process as it was the role of the executive.

He added that the mandate of the special team was to monitor the divestment process, not to take active role in the negotiation process.

The special team has been reportedly active taking part in the negotiation process both in the province and in Jakarta. The tam has also often made press statement about details of the negotiation process.

KPC is obliged to divest up to 51 percent stake to the East Kalimantan administration. But both KPC and the administration have yet to reach agreement over the price of the share. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro has been actively trying to resolve the problem.

Meanwhile, head of a local NGO called Forek ?99 Badrun Yusuf also criticized the existence of the special team on KPC, saying that the council should have focus their attention on more urgent issues that affects the lives of the people. He said that instead of forming a special team on KPC, the council should form special team to resolve ?18 priority problems? in the province. He did not provide details.(*)