Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – The nickel smelter of PT Gunbuster Nickel Industri (GNI) in North Morowali, Southeast Sulawesi, caught fire again on Thursday, Dec. 28. This was the umpteenth incident that happened to the Chinese company.
In response to the repeated incident, the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission VII member, Mulyanto, called on the government, particularly Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita to take decisive action against the company.
"The explosion at the PT GNI smelter has occurred again. This proves that PT GNI management fails to conduct factory operations according to the provisions. So, the Minister of Industry is obliged to impose a sanction, in the form of revoking PT GNI's operating license," Mulyanto said in his official statement on Friday, December 29.
He recalled that it was exactly one year ago that a fire broke out at GNI's smelter. Moreover, he noted that a series of incidents in smelters owned by Chinese firms are relatively frequent. The latest fire came less than a week after an explosion at PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) area killed 19 people, including 8 Chinese foreign workers and 11 local workers.
On this basis, the PKS politician asked the government to launch an in-depth audit of the smelter's operations. "This is an urgent and emergency matter that needs to be thoroughly audited immediately. This smelter could become a killing machine for our workers," Mulyanto stressed.
He also demanded that all smelters be temporarily shut down until they are truly reliable and safe for workers. "The government should not be soft on this smelter industry. Don't be reluctant or afraid to take action related to the government's pet project, namely downstream nickel," he added.
Recently, a video of the PT GNI fire went viral on social media. The fire reportedly started from welding sparks in one of the areas around the factory. The police have not yet confirmed any casualties in the incident.