Samarinda parliament feels the heat over new mining rule
Wednesday, August 30 2000 - 03:30 AM WIB
The Samarinda House of Representatives in East Kalimantan has been accused of deliberately causing a delay in debating the much-awaited new local mining regulation, the local Kaltim Post daily reported.
The paper said that there has been accusation that certain key officials of the parliament wanted to delay the approval of the new mining law until the election of a new Samarinda Mayor.
The paper said that the House leaders expected the debate of the new mining rule to be in line with the will of the new Mayor. It added that the new mining rule was also expected to accommodate the interest of coal mining firm PT Lana Harita Indonesia.
Lana Harita has been seeking for the Samarinda government license to mine the coal resources in the Sugai Siring area. The company is competing with a group of local cooperatives.
House deputy speaker Rusman Yaqub, who has been tipped to become the next Mayor, denied the allegations. (*)