PT Freeport president apologizes to House Commission VII

By Thomas Sembiring

Petromindo|Thomas

President Director of gold and copper giant PT Freeport Indonesia Chappy Hakim made an apology to House of Representatives Commission VII on mining and energy following accusation that he was being rude to a lawmaker during a meeting on Thursday.

?I sincerely apologize to the Commission VII of the House of Representatives,? Chappy said in a statement late on Thursday.

Mukhtar Tompo, Commission VII on energy and mining, claimed earlier that Chappy was being disrespectful toward him at the end of the closed-door meeting between the commission and nine mining companies including PT Freeport.

He told Petromindo.com that when he was about to shake the hand of Chappy, the latter instead made rude remarks with loud voice, and pointing finger at him.

Tompo, a member of the Hanura Party, demanded an apology from the former Indonesian Air Force chief of staff, and said he would discuss the ?incident? with the Commission VII and party leaders. Chappy?s apology, however, was not specifically made to Tompo.

Chappy, who was appointed as PT Freeport president late last year replacing retired Army General Maroef Syamsoedin, said in the statement that what happened after the meeting on Thursday was that he asked Tompo about the lawmaker?s remarks that PT Freeport has been inconsistent, and to show him where the company has been inconsistent.

The meeting on Thursday was held following the recent introduction of new mining regulations which among others allow miners to continue export of mineral concentrates but under certain conditions. The Commission VII wanted to get inputs from the industry players ahead of a planned meeting with Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak