Global Pressure: Stop Funding and Purchasing Nickel from Harita Group

Viralterkini.id, North Maluku – Global pressure on the Harita Group is now moving from just ordinary criticism to serious accusations that lead to allegations of structured corporate crimes.

The operation of the giant nickel industry on Obi Island, North Maluku, is no longer seen as just an environmental issue, but as a series of systematic actions that are suspected of violating environmental law, human rights, the principles of good governance, and damaging the foundations of democracy and local economic sovereignty.

Yohanes Masudede, Coordinator of the North Maluku Activists Association, stated that what happened on Obi Island fulfilled the elements of deliberate ecological destruction.

He believes that drastic changes in the island’s landscape, water pollution and widespread social conflict are not inevitable impacts of development, but rather direct consequences of extractive business models that ignore the law and people’s rights.

“Obi Island was once a living space, now it is a victim zone. The water is polluted, the land is confiscated, and the community is forced to bear the costs of profits they never enjoyed,” said Yohanes.

According to him, the process of land control and mining expansion was carried out by ignoring the rights of residents and the principles of free, prior and informed consent, which under international law is a serious violation.

He emphasized that the Harita Group could no longer hide behind the narrative of development and downstreaming.

“If a corporation consciously continues to operate despite knowing its destructive impact on the environment and humans, then that is not negligence, but rather an omission that should be suspected as a corporate crime,” he stressed.

The legal dimension of this problem becomes sharper when environmental issues meet elements of corruption and flawed governance. Director of the Indonesia Anti-Corruption Network (IACN), Igrissa Majid, called Harita Group part of the structural problems of the Indonesian nickel sector which is rife with problematic licensing practices, conflicts of interest, and allegations of non-transparent fund flows.

“Our nickel industry was built not on the supremacy of law, but on compromise, omissions and allegations of bribery, even the matter itself has been proven in court regarding the case of the former Governor of North Maluku, and the Harita Group is one of the dominant actors in this system,” said Igrissa.

He referred to various investigative reports from anti-corruption agencies which revealed how mining and smelter permits were often issued without full compliance with environmental and fiscal regulations.
According to him, the impact of this practice is not only ecological loss, but also loss to the state and people.

“When taxes are suspected to be not optimal, problematic permits are left unchecked, and environmental impacts are not restored, there is the potential for real financial losses to the state. This is an area of ​​criminal law, no longer just policy criticism,” he explained.

Igrissa also highlighted the role of national and international financial institutions which continue to fund Harita Group’s expansion.

He believes that these banks have the potential to be ethically and even legally responsible if they continue to finance projects that are suspected of violating the law and human rights.

“Funding is not a neutral act. If the bank knows or should know about a violation, then the financing can be considered a contribution to crime,” emphasized this Anti-Corruption Academy alumnus.

This pressure on the financial sector has spread globally. The international campaign #StopDirtyNickel driven by Kpop4planet openly targets large banks such as Hana Bank, Maybank, MUFG and BNI.

Creative protest actions were held to show that funds claiming to support the energy transition actually support the nickel industry with a high carbon footprint and heavy social-ecological impacts.

Market Forces and The Prakarsa reports strengthen this accusation by revealing how Harita Group financing flows through banking policy loopholes to the industrial coal PLTU project that supplies nickel smelters.

This fact shows a fundamental contradiction between green energy claims and actual practice in the field, while placing the Indonesian nickel industry as one of the highest contributors to industrial carbon emissions.

From an environmental perspective, the findings of Global Witness, The Gecko Project, and international media investigations depict an alarming situation.

Harita’s operations on Obi Island are accused of causing heavy pollution of sea water and ground water by dangerous metals, including Hexavalent Chromium which is carcinogenic.

An international media investigation by The Guardian involving environmental activist Erin Brockovich even revealed indications of long-term health risks for local communities.

Leaked internal company reports reported by international media also acknowledged the existence of long-term contamination in the mine and tailings area.

At the same time, the Halmahera waters area, which is known as one of the world’s centers of marine biodiversity, is now facing serious threats due to sedimentation and pollution from nickel mining and shipping activities.

The irony is that in the global market, Harita Nickel is trying to convince potential buyers by undergoing a standard IRMA (Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance) audit. However, critics see this as a mere attempt at image washing (whitewashing), considering the findings of systematic serious violations.

“So in the midst of this pressure, the Harita Nickel Sustainability Report and the company’s participation in the IRMA audit must be seen as greenwashing and whitewashing efforts,” he said.

Claims of compliance with international standards are considered disproportionate to the findings of serious and systematic violations that continue to emerge from the field.

A coalition of national and international activists is now directing calls directly to nickel buyers, especially global electric vehicle and battery companies.

They demanded that purchases from the Harita Group be stopped until all alleged violations were investigated independently and completely.

“Every nickel that comes out of Obi carries a trace of human suffering and natural destruction, so buying it means supporting a system that violates law and human rights,” said Igrissa.

He added that the aggressive expansion of the Indonesian nickel industry, with the support of foreign capital and technology, had created global market distortions as well as dangerous new dependencies.

According to him, this is a real test of the world’s commitment to a just energy transition.

“If clean energy is built on the dirt of environmental crime and corruption, then it is not a transition, but rather a repetition of corporate scandals,” he explained.

When met in South Jakarta, Igrissa emphasized that stopping funding and purchases from the Harita Group was a moral imperative as well as a preventive step to prevent greater crimes.

He closed with a warning that the global coalition is now closely monitoring the behavior of banks and buyers.

“The international public is paying serious attention, whoever continues to fund and buy must be prepared to be recorded as part of the crimes they themselves finance,” concluded Igrissa. (ma)