Jakarta – The government's decision to allow the resumption of sea sand exports will badly impact the environment and the livelihood of fishing communities, while the tax revenues and income it collects from licensing fees and export duties will be minimal, possibly even negligible. The only parties to benefit will be the few, highly connected businesses that are already lining up to secure concessions to dredge sand and ship it abroad.

We should not hold this against Singapore, which is likely the primary, if not only, foreign buyer. The neighboring island state has continued with its huge land reclamation project without sand from Indonesia for the last 22 years, sourcing the material from Malaysia instead. Singapore may have given a reason to reverse the decades-old ban on sea sand but it is ultimately Indonesia's decision, and Indonesia alone must face the consequences.

For President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to do so before he steps down on Oct. 20 is appalling, though not all that surprising. It is not the first time he is helping to fill up his cronies' pockets in return for their support.

Lest he forget, the majority of his support comes from the people who voted him into power, including the poor, not once but twice, and many of them have stayed loyal as attested by his high approval rating. He is turning his back on the very people he should be thanking.

You cannot get a policy that is more anti-poor, anti-environment and pro-business from the administration of the outgoing president.

Experts have warned that the resumption of sand exports will have a devastating effect on the environment, which is the main reason why the ban was imposed in 2002 by then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri and reconfirmed by her successor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2007.

Dredging the seabed for sand disrupts the marine ecosystem by destroying coral reefs to result in a vast loss of marine biodiversity and mangrove forests.

And then there's the erosion of coastal areas. Rising sea levels due to climate change is already threatening to submerge many small islands. Dredging sand from low-lying coastal areas will only accelerate the process. Dozens of islands have disappeared and more will likely follow in the coming years.

The government should do a recount to determine how many islands it really has; it's certainly not 17,505, as officials often cite.

On top of that, the people of coastal fishing communities, who count among the country's poorest, could lose their main source of livelihood as a result of this policy, which will impoverish many more.

President Jokowi embarrassed himself in claiming that the export ban remains in place and the relaxation applies only to underwater sediment. Even then, he qualified the eased policy as specific to large deposits of sediment that disrupt shipping activities.

Environmentalists were quick to point out that subsea dredging does not distinguish between sand and sediment, and that the latter takes decades, if not centuries, to form. Blame Jokowi's trade and maritime affairs ministers for not preparing him well in explaining the ban's "partial" lifting to the public.

A restrictive policy that allows for exports only once domestic needs are fulfilled is laughable, if not tragic, and more than 60 companies have reportedly applied for dredging concessions and sea sand export licenses.

There is also a big question mark about the government's ability to monitor and supervise dredging activities to ensure strict compliance, including the type of sediment that can be excavated. After all, it was massive sand smuggling due to rampant corruption and collusion involving state agencies that led to the ban's imposition 22 years ago.

Sadly, nothing has changed to convince us that things will be different now.

We take heart that Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party has called on the government to delay the resumption of sand exports. Once he is in office, Prabowo could go one better and do our environment and fishing communities a big favor: He should simply reinstitute the ban.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2024/10/10/jokowis-last-stand-sand.htm