Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) Declined the Mining Concession

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  • Title: PGI Bluntly Rejects Mining Business License: There is no success story of extractive industry making environment sustainable
  • Author: Muhammad Akbar Darojat Restu Putra
  • Archive Type: Article
  • Published: July 23, 2024
  • Website/Publisher: Islam Bergerak (The Moving Islam)
  • Available File(s): Photos
  • Keywords: Extractivism, Christianity, Communion of Churches in Indonesia, PGI, mining concessions, Henrek Lokra, Gomar Gultom.
  • Link: https://www.kompas.id/baca/english/2024/06/10/en-kenapa-hak-ormas-kelola-tambang-menuai-kritik

After the shocking news about the government’s grant of mining concessions to community organizations (organisasi masyarkat; ormas), outrage came from academics and environmental activists. The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (Persekutuan Gereja-gereja Indonesia; PGI) “bluntly rejected” the concessions. As reported by Tempo, they insisted that there is no “success story” about sustainable environment caused by extractive industries.

Executive secretary of PGI, Rev. Henrek Lokra, said that if someday the government offers them, they will decline immediately. The first reason is that there have been thousands of mining pits in many places like Kalimantan that, until now, were left open and the former mining companies did not want to treat them well due to the expensive cost.

Second, PGI always holds to its “commitment and vision” of helping people who struggle against power. “If we accept this, who else will defend the indigenous people, the people of Penajam Paser Utara who are displaced by the extraordinary IKN development?,” says Lokra. He also recalls that those who are most affected are usually “poor people, Indigenous community, women, children, and other vulnerable groups.”

PGI’s refusal was accompanied by other religious groups, such as the Batak Christian Protestant Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant; HKBP) and the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference (Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia; KWI). But for PGI, according to the former chairman Gormar Gultom, churches are responsible for “nurturing the community” if they participate in mining industries. However, the church should not be “co-opted by market mechanisms.” “And most importantly,” he says as posted on PGI’s official website, “do not let religious organizations be held hostage by the forms in the business until they lose their critical power and prophetic voice.”

Being a minority group like Christians in Indonesia often causes one to be complicit to the government’s or oligarch’s moves, as the churches often focus on the government’s protection of religious rights or democracy. Consequently, prophetic voices against extractivism and extractive practices are rarely heard. Hence, PGI’s voices and other bodies are urgently needed. In the academic setting, an anthology titled Bumi, Laut, dan Keselamatan (Earth, Sea, and Salvation), published by the Indonesian Theologians Association, was one among many, that attempted to post prophetic voices amid the environmental crisis and exploitation.

Photo(s)

PGI Executive Secretary Rev. Henrek Lokra, courtesy of Narwastu.id
Current and former PGI chairmen, Rev. Jacky Manuputty (left) and Rev. Gomar Gultom (right), courtesy of InNews.co.id
Map of extractive zones in Indonesia, courtesy of Mongabay.id

Source(s)

Written by Abel K. Aruan (November 15, 2024); Edited by Abel K. Aruan (January 11, 2025).

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