Reconstructing Legal Certainty in Legacy Oil Well Management: A Systemic Model for Resource Governance

Authors

• Azhar Azhar, Lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Sriwijaya, Jl. Raya Palembang - Prabumulih No.KM. 32, Palembang, IndonesiaFollow
• Bagaskara Sagita Wijaya, Lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Universitas Sriwijaya, Jl. Raya Palembang - Prabumulih No.KM. 32, Palembang, Indonesia
• Siti Darwinda Mohamed Pero, Lecturer at the School of International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah, Malaysia
• Cynthia Azhara Putri, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Sriwijaya, Jl. Raya Palembang - Prabumulih No. KM. 32, Palembang, Indonesia

Abstract

Legacy oil wells present persistent legal and institutional challenges in resource-dependent regions, where ageing infrastructure, informal extraction, environmental risk, and fragmented public authority intersect. This article examines how legal certainty is weakened in the management of legacy oil wells and how it may be reconstructed through a systemic model for resource governance. Using interdisciplinary socio-legal research, the study combines doctrinal legal analysis of Indonesia's oil and gas regulatory framework with qualitative field insights from Musi Banyuasin, a subnational setting in which formally recognised legacy wells coexist with community-operated wells. The analysis shows that legal uncertainty does not arise merely from the absence or inconsistency of legal norms. Rather, it is produced by the interaction between unclear authority allocation, weak vertical and horizontal coordination, uneven implementation capacity, and socio-legal practices that remain only partially integrated into formal regulation. While Ministerial Regulation No. 14 of 2025 provides an important normative basis for improving legacy oil well management, its effectiveness will depend on whether regulatory design can be supported by institutional coordination, incentive-compatible compliance mechanisms, and socially legitimate pathways for community participation. The article proposes a systemic model of resource governance that integrates normative clarity, administrative coordination, alignment of enforcement and incentives, and legal culture. This model contributes to legal scholarship by reframing legal certainty as a systemic governance outcome rather than a textual attribute of regulation.

Recommended Citation

Azhar, Azhar; Wijaya, Bagaskara Sagita; Pero, Siti Darwinda Mohamed; and Putri, Cynthia Azhara (2026) "Reconstructing Legal Certainty in Legacy Oil Well Management: A Systemic Model for Resource Governance," Padjadjaran Jurnal Ilmu Hukum (Journal of Law): Vol. 13: No. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://journal.unpad.ac.id/pjih/vol13/iss2/2

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