Impotent Instructions

President Joko Widodo needs to realize that his instruction to stop the illegal mining and export of tin has been ineffective. A month after the order was given, the illegal practice that costs the nation revenue, has not lessened in the slightest. There must be something wrong with the chain of command, or even indications of deliberate insubordination, if an instruction from a president can simply be ignored.

Data from the Malaysian stock exchange show there are still abundant stocks of tin, far in excess of mining output. Thailand and Singapore, which have no tin mines, are also still processing and exporting tens of thousands of tons of the commodity. It is certain that most of it has flooded in from illegal mines in Bangka-Belitung.

July 28, 2015