USU PR: The occurrence of floods and landslides affecting many regions, particularly three provinces on the island of Sumatra—Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra—at the end of 2025, should serve as a warning to entrepreneurs whose businesses are based on natural resources to be more aware and attentive to environmental sustainability. Considering the scale of the current damage, it is the result of environmental neglect by business actors who focused solely on short-term financial gains.

The statement was delivered by Dr. Marinus Gea, SE, M.Ak, during the open doctoral promotion examination session at Universitas Sumatera Utara on Thursday (8/1/2026), held at the IMT-GT Room, Rectorate Building. He defended his dissertation entitled “The Influence of Stakeholder Pressure and Green Governance on Company Value through the Mediation of Sustainability Commitment and Sustainability Report Assurance at the Indonesia Stock Exchange,” before the panel of examiners. The open session was chaired by the Rector of Universitas Sumatera Utara, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., and attended by the promoter, leadership of the Doctoral Program in Management Science at the Faculty of Economics and Business USU, as well as the promovendus’ family and colleagues.

Dr. Marinus, who also serves as a member of the House of Representatives Commission XIII, stated that the key message of his research topic is that it is time to raise awareness among all stakeholders and entrepreneurs, particularly those operating in natural resource-based industries, regarding the environmental damage caused by their business operations. The impacts are not visible in the short term but emerge in the long term. It must be realized that whatever is done today—good or bad—will have consequences 10 to 20 years from now.

“Therefore, we must reflect and begin to fully realize that our concern for the future of our children and grandchildren must start today. The natural disasters we experience now are not the result of what is being done today, but of what was done 20 to 30 years ago. We must recognize the importance of sustainability. From the research I conducted, it can be concluded that company value is not solely determined by short-term profit, but by increasing long-term value through genuine concern for the lives of future generations,” he emphasized.

He added that his research produced highly significant results through sustainability commitment. “All companies must have a sustainability commitment, even if it is still internal for now, by establishing a sustainability committee. Through this research, I will encourage the House of Representatives to review and draft legislation that compels all companies to prioritize sustainability.”

The legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle faction stressed that fundamentally, as religious individuals who believe in God, everyone must realize that the universe is entrusted by God to be safeguarded collectively.

“We must truly commit to preserving nature for the sake of future generations. Laws must protect this principle, so that companies operating in natural resource-based industries can implement green governance. We need binding regulations in Indonesia, because our awareness as citizens is not yet sufficient,” said the second of six siblings, son of the late Manati Gea and Manila Telaumbanua.

He will also encourage the government to allocate budgetary support for green governance. He agrees with the majority of public opinion calling for a reevaluation of palm oil cultivation.

“The law should regulate that oil palm is planted in lowland areas, not highlands. We cannot simply say, stop planting oil palm altogether. That is not constructive. Instead, we need proper classification. We must understand the criteria of oil palm cultivation. Oil palm trees consume large amounts of water, and their roots spread near the surface rather than penetrating deeply. Ideally, regulations should mandate that oil palm be planted in lowland areas to prevent landslides and floods. This must be included in the regulatory framework. We will push for this through our legislative, budgeting, and oversight functions,” concluded the politician born in Gunungsitoli, Nias, on January 6, 1973.