Kissinger's friendship toward Indonesia<\/p>\n
I have a friend who once worked for Freeport in Tembaga Pura.
\nOne of the things he noticed when he was there was that there is
\nnow a massive hole in the ground where a rather large mountain
\nused to be. He also observed that the local people were reaping
\nvery little benefit from having the world's largest copper and
\ngold mine on their doorstep, and that the rivers around the mine
\nwere an interesting (albeit rather unnatural) color. His list of
\nserious concerns was a long one and he returned to his home
\ncountry extremely disillusioned with Freeport's enterprise in
\nIrian Jaya.<\/p>\n
According to Henry Kissinger (self-proclaimed friend of
\nIndonesia), the government should not raise such concerns. The
\ncontract should be respected because it is in the interests of
\nIndonesia since \"you want investment from all over the world\", he
\nannounced on Feb. 28. Kissinger must know, but will not mention,
\nthat the original Freeport contract was made with a corrupt and
\nself-serving regime that would have sold the country's soul if it
\nwould mean an extra zillion bucks in its own pocket. He also must
\nknow that the people of Irian Jaya deride the contract simply as
\na mechanism for an American company to plunder their abundant
\nnatural resources.<\/p>\n
He must also be aware that the company is an environmental
\ncatastrophe in progress. But all this is of no consequence, he
\nseems to be saying: the main thing is to keep the investors
\nhappy. And of course, one of the investors that needs to be kept
\nhappy is Kissinger himself -- Freeport McMoRan's website lists
\nhim as a member of the board of directors. The manifest self-
\ninterest in his statements is stunning, even for an American ex-
\nsecretary of state.<\/p>\n
Indonesia should reject Kissinger's \"You need our investment
\nso let us do what we want\" argument as it simply worships the
\nmarkets while using Indonesia's economic woes as an opportunity
\nto exert pressure (You're down and the markets will kill you if
\nyou mess with us, seems to be the central thrust of his
\nargument). Well, what the markets want seldom has any correlation
\nto what is proper, right and fair, and Indonesia is currently
\ntrying to set up a system based on these values. Does Indonesia
\nreally need to protect multinationals' right to destroy the
\nenvironment in order to attract foreign investment? The right to
\npollute? The right to drain a province's natural resources? Of
\ncourse not. Indonesia should insist that all investors (including
\nFreeport) apply the same high standards that they are required to
\nobserve when doing business in their own countries. And stop
\nlistening to advice from friends like Kissinger.<\/p>\n
ANDREW TRIGG<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kissingers-friendship-toward-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }