Yohanes Maharso Joharsoyo, Jakarta – A member of the Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar (AMIN) campaign team's expert council, Fadhil Hasan, raised concerns about the government's downstream policies following the explosion of the smelter furnace in Morowali, Southeast Sulawesi.
He pointed out that Indonesia's downstream policy is still dependent on China's technology and capital.
As previously reported, on Sunday, December 24, an explosion occurred at a nickel smelting plant belonging to PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) area in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, killing 18 workers.
"This event really encourages us to re-evaluate the downstream policy that has been enforced so far. First, in the downstream policy, we are dependent on China's technology and capital," Fadhil said in his statement to Tempo, on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
According to him, China failed to adhere to the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in the mining management at various smelters.
Occupational safety, he underlined, is one of the ESG principles that must be adhered to and executed consistently, and that should be the standard for smelter operations.
"I think this is a problem that will arise because China's mining management practices, including smelters, do not pay attention to ESG principles," Fadhil said.