House to question results of govt investigation on Freeport
Wednesday, October 11 2000 - 04:30 AM WIB
The Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) has promised to question the result of the government investigation on controversies over the contract of works awarded to Freeport Indonesia and its environmental audit, the evening Suara Pembaruan daily reported on Tuesday.
Pramono Anung, a member of the commission, said on Tuesday that the government's silence over the results of its joint investigation team had drawn a suspicion within the public that the government had quietly closed the case.
"We will ask the government to explain the results of the team so that the people will understand what really happens with Freeport," he told reporters.
The government early this year established a special team to review the validity of the contracts of works awarded to Freeport Indonesia to carry out its gold and copper mine operation in Irian Jaya and the company's environmental problem.
The team was established by the then Minister of Mines and Energy and State Minister for Environmental Affairs in other related agencies in response to widely published criticism against the mining giant's operation.
The team still keeps silence over the result of its investigation although some members of the House demand the disclosure the results of its works.
Sources said that the team has ended their investigation and has also issued a six points of recommendations that must be followed by Freeport. But unfortunately, the team has yet received an approval from the Cabinet to announce their findings.
They said that the new Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro had sent a letter to Coordinating Minister for Economy Rizal Ramli to question the result of the teams investigation. But Rizal, once known as an outspoken critic of Freeport, has yet answered the letter. (*)