PANGKALPINANG -- PT TIMAH Tbk’s initiative to empower cooperatives as a platform to accommodate small-scale mining activities has received positive support from the Ministry of Cooperatives.
This was conveyed by the Special Staff to the Indonesian Minister of Cooperatives, Prof. Ambar Pertiwiningrum, during a coordination meeting aimed at accelerating the operationalization of Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) in the tin mining sector, held at the Bangka Belitung Governor’s Office recently.
Ambar stated that cooperatives can manage the mining sector following the issuance of Government Regulation No. 39 of 2025, which allows cooperatives to be involved in mining management.
According to her, cooperatives must strengthen their membership base so that more people can join and truly experience the welfare benefits of being members of Merah Putih village and urban cooperatives.
“This is truly extraordinary. With PT TIMAH involving the community through cooperatives, I feel proud and grateful that PT TIMAH, together with the regional government, is sincerely committed to the welfare of the people,” she said.
She emphasized that cooperatives are legal entities and can therefore form partnerships with companies to improve the welfare of cooperative members, who are also residents living around mining areas.
“This will be prioritized for village and urban cooperatives operating within PT TIMAH Tbk’s mining license area (IUP). We are focusing on ensuring these cooperatives recruit as many members as possible, not only miners but also other residents who can benefit from the cooperative’s facilities. For example, these cooperatives will build affordable grocery outlets so that people can access cheaper goods sourced directly from state-owned enterprises such as Bulog,” she explained.
However, she reminded cooperative members partnering with PT TIMAH Tbk to comply with existing regulations, where all mined tin must be delivered to PT TIMAH Tbk as the IUP holder.
“Miners must follow the rules, operate properly and in accordance with regulations, and not become illegal miners. I want the Merah Putih cooperatives to recruit miners as official members of the village or urban cooperatives so they can truly benefit. For example, if a miner comes from KDMP Village A, they must be a registered member to be considered legal if not, they shouldn’t claim to be,” she stressed.
She also acknowledged that cooperatives wishing to engage in mining must meet regulatory requirements but expressed confidence that they can fulfill these obligations.
“There will soon be a ministerial regulation that runs in parallel with this process. It won’t happen instantly—every step must follow proper regulations. Miners in the villages must become members of the Merah Putih cooperatives. The regulations will be clear, funding transparent, tin distribution organized, and all processes will go through a single channel,” she said.
PT TIMAH Tbk’s efforts to establish partnerships with cooperatives have been warmly welcomed by the cooperatives themselves. One such cooperative member, Mumtama from the Merah Putih Cooperative in Gunung Muda, Belinyu District, Bangka Regency, expressed his enthusiasm.
Mumtama said this initiative gives them an opportunity to be directly involved in PT TIMAH Tbk’s mining operations, especially since their area has long been a mining region.
“Alhamdulillah, we are very happy with the commitment of the governor and PT TIMAH in giving communities a broad opportunity to manage the land. This is a blessing, and we are determined to remind residents to ensure that tin production is properly distributed through PT TIMAH Tbk,” he said.
When asked about the cooperative’s readiness, he said they have already made several preparations to comply with the regulations related to the partnership with PT TIMAH Tbk.
“Alhamdulillah, we are ready. We just need to finalize the mining cooperation agreement. We’ll make use of existing buildings for now. We truly welcome this initiative, it’s been long awaited, especially in the Belinyu area, which has many tin mining sites,” he said.
Currently, the cooperative has around 800 members, many of whom are miners.
“Our main challenge moving forward is supervision—we must ensure that this golden opportunity provided by the governor and PT TIMAH is not wasted, and that no tin escapes the proper distribution channels,” he concluded.
