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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Energy & Infrastructure

South Sumatra Coal Transport Ban Faces Criticism Over Legal and National Implications

From Republika · (6m ago) Indonesian Critical tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A legal expert criticizes the South Sumatra Governor's ban on coal transportation via public roads, deeming it legally problematic and potentially detrimental to national interests.
  • The expert argues the ban contradicts existing traffic and road transport laws, which permit vehicles meeting technical and tonnage requirements.
  • The policy risks disrupting national energy security by hindering coal distribution to power plants, potentially impacting electricity supply.

The recent directive by the Governor of South Sumatra to prohibit coal transportation on public roads has ignited significant debate, drawing sharp criticism from legal experts. Dr. Muhammad Zaki Mubarak, a legal observer from Jenderal Achmad Yani University, argues that this policy is not only legally questionable but also poses a threat to national interests, particularly within the crucial energy sector. The core of his critique lies in the apparent conflict with Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation.

According to Dr. Mubarak, this law clearly stipulates that tonnage limits, not outright bans, are the primary parameter for regulating heavy vehicles. As long as coal transport vehicles adhere to technical specifications and do not exceed permissible weight limits, they should not be summarily prohibited from using public roads. The Governor's sweeping ban, therefore, risks contravening the established legal framework governing road usage in Indonesia. This legal inconsistency is a significant concern for national infrastructure and commerce.

As long as the coal transport vehicle meets the technical provisions, including not exceeding the regulated tonnage limit, it cannot be arbitrarily banned from passing on public roads. The governor's instruction which is a total ban potentially conflicts with the norms in the Road Traffic Law.

— Dr Muhammad Zaki MubarakLegal expert criticizing the South Sumatra Governor's ban on coal transportation.

Furthermore, the expert points out that coal is a strategic national commodity, vital for powering the nation's electricity grid through Steam Power Plants (PLTU). With the central government, under President Prabowo Subianto, actively pursuing enhanced energy security and increased electricity production, regional policies that impede coal distribution are counterproductive. Such a disconnect between regional and national policy objectives could have severe repercussions, potentially leading to disruptions in coal supply chains and, consequently, affecting electricity availability across various regions. This situation underscores the need for greater policy synchronization to safeguard national energy resilience.

Regional policies that hinder coal distribution potentially clash with the direction of national policy.

— Dr Muhammad Zaki MubarakLegal expert explaining the conflict between the regional ban and national energy goals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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