Purnomo wants to delay autonomy policy in mining sector

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro wants the government to delay the implementation of autonomy policy in the mining sector.

Purnomo said on Tuesday that he had made the proposal during a meeting with the Coordinating Minister for Economics Affairs Rizal Ramli and other senior ministers.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with Ambassadors of ESCAP member countries, Purnomo said that the handing over of mining authority from the central government to the regional government should be implemented gradually because the provincial and district administrations must be fully prepared as it would have to deal with international mining contracts and possible international arbitration.

The government plans to implement the regional autonomy policy in all sectors in January 2001.

Separately, Rizal said Tuesday that the government was on tract to implement the regional autonomy policy including in the mining sector in January next year.

He said there was a plan to delay the implementation of the autonomy policy both in the mining and forestry sectors.

However, assistant of the coordinating minister for economic affairs Dipo Alam admitted that Purnomo had proposed for a delay. He said that Rizal has yet to make decision on Purnomo's proposal.

Purnomo said that the delay in the transfer of mining authority to the regional government should be focused on the issuance of mining contract for coal mining firm called PKP2B and contract of work with gold mining firms called the KK

He said that the transfer of authority in the issuance of mining contract called the KP could be handed over to the regional administration as starting next year.

Purnomo said that both the central and the regional government should sit together to make a criteria which could determine whether a particular regional administration was ready to hold the greater mining authority or not. (Godang/Epin)