The results of tin are only a temporary pleasure for residents

Tin mining is actually not haram if it is managed according to applicable regulations in order to provide great benefits to residents.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

An example of tin mining practices in the sea can be seen at the Tin Museum in Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Saturday (27/4/2024). If managed in accordance with applicable regulations, tin mining is believed to be able to provide significant benefits to the community and maintain the balance of nature for the development of other sectors, such as agriculture, plantations, marine, and tourism.

The results of tin mining are indeed tempting because they can generate millions of rupiah in a day. However, not all local communities can enjoy the prosperity of tin mining. On the contrary, there are many who instead bear the consequences of illegal mining, such as environmental damage.

Tintin (53), fisherman in the Pangkal Arang area, Pangkal Balam District, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung, Wednesday (24/4/2024), was seen tidying up a fishing vessel measuring around 30 gross tons (GT). He only built the boat in the last six months when he wanted to return to being a fisherman.

The decision to return to the sea was made after he failed as a tin miner. Previously, Tintin had been catching fish since the age of nine or ten years old, or since 1980. After decades of being a fisherman, he was tempted to become a tin miner due to a colleague's invitation.

"My friend said, 'Until when will you continue to be a fisherman with such minimal income?'. From there, I became curious and decided to try to switch to being a tin miner," he said.

To become a tin miner, Tintin dared to sell his ship in 2017. With around IDR 80 million in capital from selling the ship, he then built a wooden pontoon ship and purchased a number of mining equipment, including a water suction machine and tens of meters of hose to suction tin from the depths of the water.

Also read: Illegal Tin Mining is Still Active because "Collectors" Are Loitering

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

A former tin miner turned fisherman, Tintin (left), shared his life experience when encountered in the Pangkal Arang area, Pangkal Balam District, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Wednesday (April 24, 2024). Tintin used to work as a tin miner from 2017 to 2020, but it did not have a significant impact on his income.

Tintin and six of his colleagues started mining tin in waters not far from their homes. Initially, the mining results were very promising. They were able to obtain 70-80 kilograms of tin per day.

With tin prices ranging from Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 per kilogram at that time, it means they could earn Rp 7 million to Rp 16 million per day. The profit was then divided among seven people so that their revenue could reach up to Rp 1 million to Rp 2 million per person per day.

"The mining products will definitely sell because there are collectors who come to our place every day," said Tintin.

Also read: MSME players are at risk of going bankrupt due to the weakening economy of Bangka-Belitung

After two years or until 2019, Tintin was tempted by the invitation of his nephew who said there was potential for a larger tin mine in the Bemban Village area, Central Bangka Regency. It is said that the location is in the management area of ​​Central Bangka tin entrepreneur Tamron alias Aon. Tamron was recently detained because he was one of the suspects in the tin management corruption case in PT Timah's mining business permit for the 2015-2022 period which was handled by the Attorney General's Office.

"The location is classified as an A1 area, meaning it is guaranteed to have abundant tin resources, at least compared to the previous location. Like any other normal person, I have a feeling of never being satisfied. Therefore, I want to try to move to that location," said Tintin.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Illegal tin mining continues to occur around fishing villages in Pangkal Arang, Pangkal Balam District, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka-Belitung Province on Wednesday (24/4/2024).

To move to Bemban village, Tintin left her old wooden pontoon boat. She only took the water suction machine and hose from the old location. Then, she spent Rp 100 million from her savings to make a new wooden pontoon boat so she could mine in the new location.

"Actually, the cost of moving the pontoon boat is not large, but managing it is a hassle (it can be monitored by the authorities)," he said.

It turned out that, after months of activity, Tintin and his colleagues did not get any tin at all. It could be said that the location was zonk, aka empty, empty or not in line with expectations. Because he didn't want to lose more, Tintin finally decided to stop altogether.

"Because there were no positive signs, after not even a year of activity, I decided to stop mining there," he said.

The failure of mining in Bemban Village has made Tintin hesitant to return to the world of tin mining. Moreover, if calculated, Tintin did not gain anything from the mining. The profits obtained from the mining location in Pangkal Arang area were almost non-existent due to covering the losses of mining in Bemban Village.

Because of this, Tintin decided to return to his original profession, namely being a fisherman. In fact, he had to start everything from zero.

For ordinary people like me, the results of mining are only enough for daily meals. The benefits are not worth the risks of being chased by law enforcement and conflicting with local thugs.

Since 2020, he has had to collect money by joining other people's fishing boats. The money he collects is slowly saved to build his own boat, which is targeted to operate within a month from now or in May.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

An example of tin mining practices in the sea can be seen at the Tin Museum in Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Saturday (27/4/2024). If managed in accordance with applicable rules, tin mining is believed to be able to provide significant benefits to the community and maintain the balance of nature for the development of other sectors such as agriculture, plantations, fisheries, and tourism.

"The lesson that I learned is that we should be grateful for what we have. Don't easily be swayed by other professions that are not our expertise. For ordinary people like me, the earnings from mining are just enough for daily meals. The benefits are not worth the risk of being chased by authorities and conflicting with local gangsters. Only the big investors benefit greatly. They don't have to work hard 24 hours in the field, but just sleep soundly and laugh at home while waiting for profits to come," expressed Tintin.

Another potential

The Executive Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) in Bangka Belitung, Ahmad Subhan Hafiz, stated that Bangka Belitung is actually very capable of breaking away from its economic dependence on tin. There are many other sectors that residents can potentially develop, including agriculture, plantations, and marine industries.

Also read: Is it possible for Bangka-Belitung to escape its dependence on tin?

In the marine sector, for example, based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2021, marine capture fisheries production according to main commodities in Bangka Belitung reached 244,938 tons or the third highest in Sumatra and the highest 12th nationally.

In Sumatra, the production of capture fisheries in the Bangka-Belitung Sea is only surpassed by North Sumatra with 354,797 tons and the Riau Islands with 303,194 tons. Meanwhile, North Sumatra is ranked fifth nationally, while the Riau Islands are ranked eighth. The province with the largest national production of capture fisheries at sea is Maluku, reaching 547,463 tons out of Indonesia's total production of 6,767,572 tons.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Fishermen earn their livelihood not far from the fishing village in Pangkal Arang, Pangkal Balam District, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Belitung Province, on Wednesday (24/4/2024). The fisheries and marine sector in Bangka Belitung has great potential for development as the island province is surrounded by seas. This could be a substitute for income apart from the tin sector.

However, the potential of Bangka Belitung's marine resources is facing a great challenge from pollution caused by illegal tin mining. As proven by data from BPS in 2021, the number of coastal villages in Bangka Belitung experiencing water pollution is 38 villages, 13 villages experiencing soil pollution, and 13 villages experiencing air pollution.

Soil pollution in coastal villages in Bangka Belitung is the highest in Sumatra. Its water pollution ranks second highest in Sumatra after North Sumatra with 49. As for air pollution, it ranks sixth highest in Sumatra after Aceh with 22 villages, North Sumatra with 19 villages, Riau and the Riau Islands both with 16 villages, and Lampung with 14 villages.

"At present, the environmental burden in Bangka Belitung has reached 70 percent. In addition to illegal tin mining, other factors that contribute to environmental damage are extractive industries such as large-scale monoculture plantations and industrial forest plantations (HTI). This narrows the living space of the community to continue their civilization, especially for farmers and fishermen," said Hafiz.

Can grow together

Islamic religious leaders in Bangka Belitung, as well as the Rector of Muhammadiyah University Bangka Belitung, Fadillah Sabri, stated that tin mining can develop alongside other sectors such as agriculture, plantations, marine affairs, and tourism. However, due to poor management, tin mining only benefits a few parties and causes massive environmental damage, leading to the decline of other sectors.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

The diorama showcasing the success of the pepper plantation in Bangka Belitung is displayed at the Tin Museum in Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Saturday (4/27/2024). If properly managed according to applicable regulations, tin mining is believed to provide significant benefits to the community and preserve the natural balance for the development of other sectors, such as agriculture, plantations, maritime, and tourism.

For this reason, Fadillah hopes that the disclosure of the tin corruption case can be a momentum for improving tin mining governance so that it can provide maximum benefits for the community and create a natural balance for other sectors.

So far, from October 2023 to April 26, 2024, the Attorney General's Office has named 21 suspects related to the case that caused Rp 271 trillion in state losses. The suspects include former officials of PT Timah, businessmen or owners of smelters or tin processing facilities, individuals who attempted to obstruct the investigation, and former or current government officials in Bangka Belitung.

"Tin mining is not something forbidden if it is managed according to applicable regulations. However, due to the presence of mafia practices, the results of mining only benefit a few parties and leave significant losses for the community, especially due to environmental damage that devastates other sectors," explained Fadillah.

Also read: Tin Corruption and Momentum to Save Life Sustainability in Bangka-Belitung

Historian of Bangka Belitung who received the Indonesian Cultural Award, Dato Akhmad Elvian, stated that since the era of the Palembang Darussalam Sultanate led by Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin I (ruled 1724-1757), Bangka Belitung has known the limits or rules in tin mining as stated in the Sindang Mardika customary law. Its contents state that tin mining is not allowed in seven sacred locations.

The location covers areas such as reserve fields or gardens for food reserves, village reserves for village expansion, as well as conservation forests for sources of raw materials for making houses, boats, and traditional medicine.

Currently, the environmental burden in Bangka Belitung has reached 70 percent. In addition to the factor of illegal tin mining, other factors that contribute to environmental damage are extractive industries, such as large-scale monoculture plantations and industrial forest plantations (HTI).

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Residents enjoy the atmosphere of Pasir Padi Beach, Pangkal Pinang City, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, on Friday (26/4/2024). In reality, Bangka Belitung can break free from dependence on tin by developing other sectors that are equally potential, such as the tourism sector.

Other locations include customary forests that serve as a source of daily livelihood, as well as coastal areas for disaster prevention and as a source of sea-based food. Mining is also not allowed along riverbanks as they are sources of clean water. The same goes for hills and mountains as they serve as sources of springs and habitats for wildlife as part of the human life cycle.

Local wisdom is ignored

However, since the reform era, long-preserved local wisdom has been neglected for short-term profits. This became the beginning of a disaster that triggered massive environmental damage.

"It's no wonder that for some of the Bangka Belitung community, which is majority Muslim, tin money is considered "hot money" and is rarely used to go on a pilgrimage. They prefer to go on a pilgrimage using other sources of income, which are considered more virtuous from the earth's produce, such as pepper," he said.

Also read: Pros and Cons of Responding to the Government's Plan to Manage Smelters Confiscated by Tin Corruption

The Acting Governor of Bangka Belitung, Safrizal ZA, stated that it is not easy to shift the profession of the community from the tin mining sector to other sectors. This is because 30-40 percent of the population, or 500,000-600,000 people out of a total of 1.521 million people in Bangka Belitung, still rely on tin for their livelihood.

However, to prevent further environmental damage, Safrizal will encourage all related institutions to facilitate the development of other sectors. The aim is for residents who were previously farmers to return to farming, and residents who were previously fishermen to return to fishing.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

The environmental damage caused by irresponsible tin mining practices around the city of Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, Bangka Belitung Province, was reported on Saturday (27/4/2024).

History records that Bangka Belitung was once economically independent thanks to pepper or nutmeg. Bangka Belitung is also surrounded by seas rich in potential. Hopefully, the intention of this transformation will not just be a fleeting fancy so that ordinary people, like Tintin, will not be deceived by the temporary pleasure of tin.