Freeport must empower Irianese: Councilors

Copper and gold mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), with main operation in Irian Jaya province, has long neglected the basic rights of the Irianese, and this has caused long conflicts in the territory. And demand for independence and the people's rejection for autonomy are only expressions of the people's anger against such injustices.

The head of the Irian Jaya Legislative Council's Commission F on human rights and environment affairs, Augustin Iwanggin, said that the people's rejection against autonomy, as expressed by recent bloody protests at the venue of a seminar on special autonomy, was sparked by the government's policy of allowing Freeport to destroy people's traditional rights over their lands and rake in their resources.

Iwanggin noted that Freeport did not show goodwill to empower Irianese. The most obvious example was that there were no Irianese taking important positions at Freeport management. Freeport had always contended that Irianese were not yet capable to assume an important post at the company. Freeport also often rejected to employ local people, again, contending that they were not capable.

"If they are not yet capable, Freeport is responsible to make them capable. They have their traditional lands, the natural resources and they are the legal owners of these lands. But up to now there is no single Irianese who holds an important position in that company," he said.

He added that last week, around 300 Irianese who used to work at Freeport came to his office and complained that they were fired from Freeport without any compensation. The only reason Freeport was given was that they were not capable to work at the company.

Iwanggin also expressed his unhappiness over Freeport's lack of transparency and the fact that Freeport did not make any improvement in their operation in the province. Freeport, for instance, is not transparent in presenting its audits on finance, including profits per annum, and production. It is also not transparent in terms of employment and payroll system including in terms of salary system for employees.

He noted that the presence of Freeport in Irian Jaya did not do any better to local people but made local people getting poorer, because Freeport's operation had affected people's living from forest sources.

Supporting Iwanggin's argument, Commission F secretary Anton Kalinangame demanded that Freeport ask people's apology for what it had been doing in the past and express its readiness to help the Irianese improve their lives under the special autonomy.

If necessary, Anton said, Freeport should build a road system in Irian Jaya, from Sorong in the western tip of the province to Merauke the southeastern tip of the province.

Meanwhile, sources at Freeport said that the company had done its best to help local people around its mining areas, especially around Tembagapura, and the company promised to continue to help local people according to the company's finances and also local needs. (*)