President asks foreign investors to stay away from political affairs

President Abdurrahman Wahid warned on Tuesday foreign investors not to meddle in the country?s politics.

The statement was made by the President, who is affectionately called by his nickname Gus Dur, during a visit to the operation base of copper and gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia in Mimika, Irian Jaya.

I warn all companies operating in Indonesia, particularly companies owned by foreign investors, to be careful in one thing. That is they should not meddle with the political affairs either on the national or local levels. This is a stern warning, Gus Dur said in his off-the-cuff remarks during the visit.

Gus Dur was accompanied by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih, Junior Minister for the Acceleration of the Development in the Eastern Region Manuel Kaisiepo, Armed Forces commander Admiral Widodo AS, Irian Jaya governor Jacobus Salossa and Freeport Indonesia?s president Adrianto Machribie.

The President did not specify the companies which had meddled or try to meddle with Indonesian political affairs.

In his speech, Gus Dur also called on Freeport to boost its community development and environmental protection programs.

I am here to take a closer look at how Freeport Indonesia has changed lives here. I also want to know if Freeport has taken necessary measures to improve the past time that had been significantly tainted by many unpleasant things

I also want to know if Freeport has taken measures to settle community and environmental problems. Freeport is a mining company. Because of it, it caused lots of pollution in the past. And this caused many complaints, the President said.

In response to the many parties? demand for a change in the contracts held by mining companies, including Freeport, the President noted that the government would honor all the contracts of work that had been awarded by the former governments

We from the central government has underlined that we shall honor all our international commitment, Gus Dur said.

He called on Freeport to reach win-win solutions out of the court in settling its dispute with various parties, similar to the measure taken by gold mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in North Sulawesi in settling its dispute with the Minahasa regency administration.

He also called on Freeport to appoint a member of the Amungme and Komor tribal groups as a member of the company?s board of commissioners representing both tribal groups.

Freeport is morally obliged to select one member of the tribal groups to become a commissioner of the company but it depends on Freeport whether it thinks it is morally obliged to do so, Gus Dur said.

In his speech, Adrianto said Freeport had earmarked one percent of its sales per year in funds for the promotion of the local people?s welfare. The so-called Freeport Fund for Irian Jaya Development (FFIJD) has now reached US$15 million.

He also said Freeport?s exports account for 93 percent of Irian Jaya?s total non oil and gas exports and four percent of the national non-oil and gas exports. (godang)