Freeport's conflict of interest

Freeport's conflict of interest

Recently, PT Freeport Indonesia signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) with local Irianese. Later on Aug. 22, 2000,
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard responding to an
article in The Jakarta Post dated Aug. 16, 2000 -- U.S. supports
Papuan struggle, says Beanal, said he was deeply disappointed
with the article. What actually happened between the ambassador,
Beanal and Freeport?

In his interview with the Washington Times, published on Aug.
29, 2000, Gelbard said that foreign terrorist groups were trying
to burrow in and implant themselves in Indonesia while the
country's security forces wasted their time demonizing the United
States. Furthermore, he bluntly criticized some members of
President Abdurrahman Wahid's Cabinet saying that their
appointment was shocking, singling out State Minister for the
Environment Sonny Keraf.

These statements showed a rude, boasting, colonizing and
irresponsible attitude. As an ambassador he should be responsible
for and promote better bilateral ties between the two countries
-- U.S. and Indonesia. My interpretation of his statements are
that U.S. wants to take advantage of Indonesia's multidimensional
crisis by putting all the blame on the current government,
especially on the military, in the hope that all U.S. mistakes
would be covered.

Now, the U.S. and Freeport face a serious threat as the Papuan
Congress ended with a declaration that Irian Jaya was no longer
part of the Republic of Indonesia and in which Tom Beanal became
the deputy chairman of the Papuan Presidium. No wonder the
ambassador met him twice and Freeport appointed him as one of its
commissioners.

The world knows that the biggest mistake the U.S. has done is
to allow and keep its mouth shut on the environmental catastrophe
being caused by Freeport to the surrounding operating area. The
U.S. understands very well the standard guidelines that a giant
mining company must fulfill to protect the environment and former
state minister for the environment Sonny Keraf was also aware of
this.

To overcome this hassle, freeport signed a MOU with Lemasa,
the Amungme people's organization; and Lemasko, the Kamoro
people's organization, regarding socio-economic resources, and
human, land and environmental rights. Again, one of the chairmen
of the organization was Tom Beanal. He, through his foundation,
also owns some huge land in the Timika area and runs several
activities to enrich himself by using his own countrymen.

What Freeport is trying to do is the same as it did
previously. During the New Order regime, Timika had a Koperasi (a
cooperative) controlled by the company. The Koperasi workers were
all from Freeport. Honestly, the people who ran the Koperasi made
twice as much income -- income from Freeport and the Koperasi.
The Koperasi didn't benefit or educate the people. Surprising, it
lasted for 30 years and basically made the locals slaves and the
Koperasi the landlord.

Freeport's current ways of dealings with the Irianese people
are not different from the way it handled social problems in the
area in the past.

Is Freeport still trying to control the locals with their
power or are they trying to enrich them?

PARLINDUNGAN SIBARANI

Jakarta