World Cup and our plight

World Cup and our plight

From Koran Tempo

Most Indonesians are able to temporarily forget their plights because of the festive mood of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Or, perhaps, we have finally gotten used to oppression.

An increase in fuel prices during Soeharto's time triggered a popular movement that eventually toppled the ruler. Unfortunately, the price of fuel and public utilities has been raised several times now but the public does not seem to be concerned about these increases.

And now our rulers can act more arbitrarily than before. We are like chickens dying of hunger in a granary. Just imagine that PT Freeport Indonesia is extracting 72 million ounces of gold in Papua. And Newmont Minahasa Raya, 80 percent of whose shares are controlled by U.S. companies, collects about 1,000 kilograms of gold every month. Our oil is also extracted by foreign companies: Caltex (1.2 million barrels per day/bpd); YPF Maxus Ses BV (124,000 bpd), Conoco Indonesia (63,000 bpd) and Unocal Indonesia (60,000 bpd). And our forest and marine products are also going to foreign companies.

Clearly, Western capitalist countries have colonized us again and robbed us of our natural wealth, through the dirty hands of the International Monetary Fund and other international agencies.

So, let us now fight for our natural wealth and stop all the unjust acts against us.

SAPAN

Bandung