'Oil Colonies' spring up where wells gush<\/p>\n
By Raja Isyam Azwar<\/p>\n
Riau has long been famous for its oil, a major source of
\nforeign exchange for Indonesia, which in turn has made it a point
\nof urbanization. As in other places, this source of black gold is
\na bonanza attracting people from the world over, making the quiet
\narea quite a busy center of industry.<\/p>\n
Colonization as a consequence of the oil industry does indeed
\nhave an extraordinary impact on the oil-rich areas. Oil
\nexploitation concentration areas such as Rumbai, Minas, Duri and
\nDumai are developing rapidly.<\/p>\n
Population growth is rapid. Duri City (subdistrict of Mandau,
\nBengkalis) and Minas (subdistrict of Minas, Siak) are extreme
\nexamples of this population boom. In 1990 Minas' population was
\n23,400 but in 2000, it has more than doubled to 48,000 people.<\/p>\n
As has Duri. Its population has nearly doubled from 104,000 in
\n1990 to 195,000 in 2000.<\/p>\n
One of public figures of Mandau, H. Mohd Khotbah Arrofie,
\nsaid, \"Previously, the forest was priceless in Sebanga (a Duri
\nsuburb). But now there is no forest let alone empty land. If
\nthere is, the price is very exorbitant.\"<\/p>\n
Minas and Duri have develop rapidly, with markets, shopping
\ncenters and office buildings mushrooming.<\/p>\n
Other areas following their lead are Rumbai and Dumai.
\nAlthough not as rapidly as the two areas above, the existence of
\noil exploitation increases economic growth of the surrounding
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Quantity<\/p>\n
There is a great number of oil workers in Riau. Most of them
\nare employed by PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) -- about
\n28,000. The remainder are employed by smaller companies, such as
\nKondur Petroleum (500 employees), Conoco and Expand.<\/p>\n
PT CPI Vice President Corporate Human Resources Suwito Anggoro
\nsaid, \"Total permanent workers number 5,800, contract workers
\n24,000 and service-type contract workers 3,000 on average.\"<\/p>\n
Education-wise, 2,700 are graduates, 4,600 undergraduates and
\nthe remainder senior high school graduates.<\/p>\n
Suwito said that most workers are posted at Duri, which has a
\nfield with a very large well, producing 300,000 barrel per day,
\nand Bekasap field, which absorbs nearly 60 percent of PT CPI's
\nworkers (20,000). This is followed by Minas 20 percent, Rumbai 15
\npercent and Dumai 5 percent (Support Operation).<\/p>\n
Minas-Duri<\/p>\n
Oil workers have been found in Riau since the Dutch
\ncolonial era and continued during Japanese occupation. In 1924, a
\nconsortium of Socal and Texaco through PT CPI carried out a
\nsurvey and exploration around Minas and Duri.<\/p>\n
In the Balai Raja village, history of Duri activities in the
\noil sector can be seen from the local graveyard. According to
\nlocal elders, they were forced to build a road in the interest of
\noil exploration in this area.<\/p>\n
\"There have been many newcomers since 1943, mostly from Java,
\nWest Sumatra and North Sumatra,\" H. Mohd. Khotbah Arrafia said.<\/p>\n
In line with the fast-growing oil exploration in these two
\nareas, especially after the invention of \"giant\" oil fields in
\nDuri (Duri Field, 1941) and Minas (Minas Field, 1942), their
\npopulations increased rapidly. Statistical data indicates that
\ntheir growth rates have reached 7.88 percent for Minas and 6.66
\npercent for Mandau, Duri, annually. This is far above both Riau's
\naverage rate (3.79 percent) and the national rate (1.6 percent).<\/p>\n
The Central Bureau of Statistics in Riau (BPS Riau) Head of
\nPopulation Statistics, Togi Siahaan, said, \"The urbanization rate
\nis very high, much higher than the national one. It may match
\nBatam's record (12 percent, editor).\"<\/p>\n
In addition, oil exploration also has a significantly positive
\nimpact on the local people's economy (unfortunately BPS Riau has
\nnever recorded concrete data on this economic growth rate).<\/p>\n
However, as an illustration, oil-worker dissemination in Duri
\nmay serve as a model to describe the magnitude of the impact of
\noil exploration on surrounding areas. According to data from PT
\nCPI, 60 percent of its workers and contractors are concentrated
\nin Duri. Assuming that they spend 60 percent of their income for
\ntheir daily needs, total money circulating in the local market
\nreaches about Rp 18 billion to Rp 24 billion per month. This is
\nvery significant indeed for local economic growth.<\/p>\n
\"Generally, contractors rent their offices outside. They also
\ngo shopping at local stores. Stores and suppliers develop. Duri
\ndevelopment is 50 percent directly attributed to CPI's workers at
\nDuri,\" said Suwito.<\/p>\n
Kurau<\/p>\n
Different from Minas and Duri, oil exploration in Kurau
\nsubdistrict, Merbau, Bengkalis, and its surrounding areas does
\nnot seem to have a significant impact on regional development
\ngrowth. The mines concession area of 11,800 square km, managed by
\nPT Kondur Petroleum since 1970, seems not as strategic due to a
\nhard terrain dominated by peat areas and the sea.<\/p>\n
A very small production factor (only 15,000 barrels per day)
\nand limited workforce (about 500 employees) cannot yet give any
\nsignificant contribution to local development.<\/p>\n
Life of oil workers<\/p>\n
For laymen, the most prominent factor of oil workers is, of
\ncourse, their welfare. In general, they have a higher economic
\nlevel than workers in other sectors.<\/p>\n
However, from another point of view, the life of oil workers
\nis quite unique, especially that of site workers. A visit to the
\nexploitation area of PT Kondur Petroleum in Kurau gives a
\nportrait of their unique life.<\/p>\n
Site workers have very tight schedules. After working shifts
\nwhich can last weeks, they are off for two weeks. Working in
\nremote areas, in forests and at sea is challenging. They are
\npresented with basic human dilemmas. PT Kondur Petroleum Public
\nRelations staffer, Priyadi S. Budi said jokingly, \"Yes, it is
\nquite hard to be at site for a long time, far from family,
\nespecially for bachelors, they only see monkeys.\"<\/p>\n
This is even more so for employees posted at oil rigs
\nfacilities. PT Kondur Petroleum has its Ladinda, a supertanker
\nwith a capacity for 500,000 barrels, berthed at a bay. Employees
\nwork on board for two weeks (the writer was invited to spend a
\nnight there on July 31, 2000, and as soon as boarding, was given
\na detailed safety briefing, editor).<\/p>\n
\"Just imagine: eating, sleeping, working on top of thousands
\nof barrels of oil. But this is a job,\" said Priyadi, explaining
\nthe heavy psychological burden the employees may have to bear.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, working in an oil company promises adequate pay.
\nAt staff levels, let alone higher levels, welfare is adequate. A
\nMelibur-Kuru processing staffer, Arif, said as much. \"Yes, it is
\nquite adequate. It is above Rp 1 million, depending upon the job
\nand position. For me, with one dependent, it is sufficient.\"<\/p>\n
Even a gardener at an oil company receives an adequate salary
\nif viewed from the average income in Indonesia. Edi, for example,
\nworking for a landscaper, one of PT CPI's contractors dealing
\nwith the company's premise cleanliness, said that his income
\nreached Rp 650,000 per month.<\/p>\n
Expatriates<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, expatriate employees have a different lifestyle to
\nthe local workers. They earn much higher salaries.<\/p>\n
The number of expatriates is quite high. At PT CPI, there are
\n190 -- 80 of whom are contractors. They frequently hang around
\nthe city with their friends or family at weekends.<\/p>\n
Expatriates enjoy having dinner out in Riau and they usually
\nvisit special places or restaurants such as Rumah Makan Pondok
\nPatin, Pondok Gurih, Restoran Hotel Aryaduta, Hotel Mutiara
\nMerdeka and others.<\/p>\n
At PT CPI, they are expert staff and usually employed on a
\ncontract basis for an average of four years. Their employment is
\nbased on the framework of transfer of know-how and technology.<\/p>\n
Anthony Joseph Perez, one of expert staff seconded by Chevron
\nto PT CPI, working since 1998 in Rumbai-Camp enjoys his work very
\nmuch and catches interesting impression from his surrounding
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
In reply to the writer's question, the man from Houston,
\nTexas, USA, said that he spent his spare time enjoying sports,
\nsuch as golf, bicycling and other recreational activities. \"We've
\nseen line racing in Kuantan Bay. Sometimes we go to Bukit Tinggi
\nand Lake Maninjau (in West Sumatra). Sometimes we spend the night
\nin one or several hotels in Pekanbaru and enjoy eating in
\nrestaurants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In addition, he added, he and his friends frequently visit
\nlocal traditional events such as marriage ceremonies, sports
\ncompetitions and buy souvenirs.<\/p>\n
In his own words, the most interesting thing for Tony during
\nhis work in Riau is: \"There are many challenges associated with
\nworking in Riau, but I believe it is still the adventure that the
\nlocation adds to the work experience, which I find most
\ninteresting. We are challenged intellectually with the work
\nbecause of technological changes, differences in language and
\ncultural diversity and the impact of governmental and economic
\nchange. Finding a balance between these challenges means finding
\nharmony and a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day for
\nhaving met the challenge. Also, where else can one work with the
\nlatest technology and walk out of your office and see a jungle
\nand wild animals like monkeys and monitor lizards!<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/oil-colonies-spring-up-where-wells-gush-1447893297",
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