June 12, 2025
JAKARTA – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has dismissed allegations linking former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his wife Iriana to nickel mining activities in Raja Ampat.
“Oh, that’s not true. Where is that [allegation] coming from?” Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, Kompas reported.
He also denied claims that the former president’s administration had issued the mining business permits (IUP) for the operations in Raja Ampat.
Mining activities in the region have come under increasing scrutiny following videos circulating widely on social media that allegedly show ships transporting nickel ore.
The vessels were said to bear names resembling the names or initials of the former president and his wife.
Data from the Transportation Ministry’s directorate of shipping and maritime affairs confirms the existence of ships named TB JKW Mahakam and barge Dewi Iriana.
“TB” stands for “tugboat,” a type of vessel used to tow or push other ships, such as barges lacking propulsion systems. There are at least eight vessels named JKW Mahakam, according to the Transportation Ministry’s data.
However, ownership of these vessels is affiliated with four different companies.
Ships bearing names resembling the initials of former president Jokowi are JKW Mahakam 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10, the data shows.
Several of the JKW Mahakam vessels are owned by a subsidiary of publicly listed PT IMC Pelita Logistik.
Ships bearing the name of the former first lady, Dewi Iriana, also number six: Dewi Iriana 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8. Some of the Dewi Iriana ships are registered under PT PSS and its parent company, PT IMC Pelita Logistik, according to Kompas.
On Tuesday, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi announced the revocation of permits for four out of five companies operating in the ecologically sensitive region, leaving one, PT Gag Nikel, free to continue.
The decision came after activists circulated videos showing visible harm to the islands’ fragile ecosystems. Bahlil said the companies had “violated” prevailing regulations.
None of the four companies, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining, PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa, PT Anugerah Surya Pratama and PT Nurham, had submitted 2025 Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) applications so far, the minister said, while Gag Nikel, on the other hand, had secured the 2025 RKAB.
Nickel mining activities on the islands of Gag, Kawe and Manuran have led to the destruction of more than 500 hectares of forest and vegetation, a Greenpeace Indonesia analysis shows.
The environmental NGO said all three were classified as small islands and as such should be off-limits to mining under a regulation reinforced by a Constitutional Court ruling in 2023.