Legacy of Bob Hasan's monopoly

Legacy of Bob Hasan's monopoly

From Bisnis Indonesia

The Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI)
has, since 1990, collected from each member compulsory dues
amounting to US$2 per hectare for purposes of inventory and
mapping of forest concessions. At the time, the total area was
estimated at 60 million hectares.

APHI -- chaired at the time by Mohammad "Bob" Hasan --
appointed newly established company PT Adikarto Printindo, then
owned by Bambang Yoga Sugama, to conduct mapping of forest
concessions throughout Indonesia.

In 1991, PT Adikarto Printindo was taken over by Bob Hasan and
its name changed to PT Mapindo Parama, the only company permitted
to carry out photography and mapping of all forest concessions in
Indonesia. Mapping by other companies/consultants was not
recognized by the APHI.

Up to now, the mapping has not been finished. A number of
companies which already have part of the mapping data, including
Kayu Lapis Indonesia, say that the maps strongly fail to meet the
criteria for mapping. No control point used in the process of
mapping is the result of measurements in the field. They were
taken from old maps with a scale of 1:250,000, which is very
inadequate and unfeasible scientifically to control the
photography at a scale of 1:20,000.

Thus, apart from the loss of time and the waste, the market
monopoly of $120 million (for inventory every five years) also
stifles a dozen mapping companies.

We propose that:

1. Monopolistic practices in photography and mapping in forestry
circles be eradicated.

2. PT Mapindo Parama and APHI be obliged to account for the
quality of, and all the funds used for, the production of aerial
photographs and forestry maps.

3. All administrative requirements for national private
consultants who operate in the forestry business be abolished.
For technical consultants, a consultancy service business permit
should be adequate to offer their services.

GATOT PURNOMO

Jakarta