2) Foreign Journalists Allowed on
Papuan Soil as Jokowi Lifts Ban
3)
Permits still needed for Papua reporters
10) Enhancing indigenous Papuans’ competency
through education and training
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/98893/foreign-media-should-obtain-permits-to-cover-papua-chief-minister
1) Foreign media should obtain permits to cover Papua: Chief minister
Senin, 11 Mei 2015 21:26 WIB | 668 Views
Merauke, Papua (ANTARA News) - Foreign journalists must first obtain permits if they want to cover Papua, and there will be screening, according to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.
"So, we will not be blamed if they go to forbidden areas," the chief minister affirmed here, Sunday.
The entry of foreign journalists into Papua is no longer closed, but there are preconditions if they want to cover news. Their reports must not contain defamatory content and information that is not based on facts and discredits Indonesia, the minister noted.
Foreign media can report what they see, and they should not seek untrue data provided by armed groups, he added.
"So, let the journalists have a firsthand glimpse of the situation in Papua. There is no news alike what is reported by the overseas media," Minister Tedjo stated.
The government is now implementing the welfare approach and no longer uses the repressive security approach.
"We can see that is happening here because the news published by foreign media describes that the situation is full of violations. I think it is not true," the minister noted.
President Joko Widodo, here on Sunday, stated that the foreign media are now free to enter Papua, similar to how they can enter other provinces in Indonesia.
"Beginning today, Sunday, I allow the foreign journalists if they want to go to Papua just like the other regions," President Jokowi stated in response to a question posed by Antara after attending a grand harvest in Wapeko, Kurik Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua Province.
Starting now, the nation should think positively and promote mutual trust, which is disappearing lately.
"Do not ask that question, that is enough," Jokowi responded when questioned about a fact that foreign journalists usually prefer to cover the activities of illegal armed groups.(*)
"So, we will not be blamed if they go to forbidden areas," the chief minister affirmed here, Sunday.
The entry of foreign journalists into Papua is no longer closed, but there are preconditions if they want to cover news. Their reports must not contain defamatory content and information that is not based on facts and discredits Indonesia, the minister noted.
Foreign media can report what they see, and they should not seek untrue data provided by armed groups, he added.
"So, let the journalists have a firsthand glimpse of the situation in Papua. There is no news alike what is reported by the overseas media," Minister Tedjo stated.
The government is now implementing the welfare approach and no longer uses the repressive security approach.
"We can see that is happening here because the news published by foreign media describes that the situation is full of violations. I think it is not true," the minister noted.
President Joko Widodo, here on Sunday, stated that the foreign media are now free to enter Papua, similar to how they can enter other provinces in Indonesia.
"Beginning today, Sunday, I allow the foreign journalists if they want to go to Papua just like the other regions," President Jokowi stated in response to a question posed by Antara after attending a grand harvest in Wapeko, Kurik Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua Province.
Starting now, the nation should think positively and promote mutual trust, which is disappearing lately.
"Do not ask that question, that is enough," Jokowi responded when questioned about a fact that foreign journalists usually prefer to cover the activities of illegal armed groups.(*)
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MONDAY, 11 MAY, 2015 | 21:16 WIB
2) Foreign Journalists Allowed on Papuan Soil as Jokowi Lifts Ban
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has officially revoked a regulation that bans foreign journalist from reporting events occurring on Papuan soil
However, the government claimed that they are on the process of drafting a technical guideline for foreign media reporting on Papua. "The president has given clear instruction that foreign media can enter Papua. Yet we need code of conducts," said Army Chief of Staff General Moeldoko.
Moeldoko later explained that the condition on Papua has started to improve with no ongoing military operation.
Previously, President Jokowi has officially revoked a policy banning foreign journalists from entering Papua on May 10, 2015. Prior to the revocation, foreign journalists must to fill out a reporting permit form, which might not be granted by the government.
TRI YARI KURNIAWAN
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3) Permits still needed for Papua reporters
Updated at 7:03 am today
A West Papua journalist says although the Indonesian President Joko Widodo has promised West Papua will be open to foreign media, a cabinet minister is saying special permits are still needed.
Victor Mambor is a journalist for Tabloid Jubi, and interviewed President Jokowi, who told him that the ban on foreign journalists would be lifted.
Mr Mambor says after he spoke with President Jokowi he read an article quoting the the Minister of Internal Affairs, Tjahjo Kumolo, who said that foreign media will still need special permission.
"The president said, all of the foreign journalists can come to West Papua free, no special needs. But his minister said foreign journalists who come to West Papua need special requests, need a special permit, need to write a letter, need to explain where they want to go. So I'm sorry, that's a problem."
Victor Mambor says foreign journalists must try to enter West Papua and test the process.
The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Tedjo Purdijatno, has told the Antara news agency there will be screening and permits, which carry preconditions if journalists want to report.
He says reports must not discredit Indonesia.
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Http://News.pngfacts.com/2015/05/7-People-Detained-For-Welcoming.html
4) 7 People Detained For Welcoming Indonesian President Joko Widodo To PNG With West Papuan Flag
Indonesian President, Joko Widodo arrived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and paid a courtesy call on Governor-General, Grand Chief Sir Michael Ogio and wife, Lady Esmie, at the Government House.
President Widodo's arrival at the Jackson's International Airport, on board an Indonesian Boeing 737 V-I-P plane, was greeted with a 21 Gun Salute from the P-N-G Defence Force.
Security was beefed up at the airport and around the city involving the Defence, Police and Correctional Services, as the Indonesian President and his entourage convoyed to Government House and returned to his hotel room.
He attends a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and wife Lynda Babao, at the State Function Room in Parliament, tonight.
West Papuan community in Port Moresby stood alongside the road from the airport, with the West Papuan Morning Star Flag shouting protests at the President's visit to P-N-G.
Meantime, , seven people were detained at the Six Mile Police cell for staging a mini gathering, during the arrival of President Joko Widodo, this afternoon.
The group of less then 10 people, were picked up at Six Mile market round-a-bout for displaying placards and banners to show their support for their West Papuan brothers.
Among those detained were two sisters below the age of 19 and their dad.
The detainees told NBC news at the station, police approached them heavily armed.
They said they were not armed, they were only standing their to welcome the president and only waving West Papuan flag and placards to show their support for their Melanesian brothers.
The seven were released after spending six hours in the cell.
PNG Today /NBC
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5) Lanny Jaya hostages still being held
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Mon, May 11 2015, 6:35 PM -
Lanny Jaya administration officials and security officers continue to try and secure the release of six Timur Laut Papua employees taken hostage by residents of Kuanom, a village located in between Magi and Gamelia districts, in Lanny Jaya regency. The employees were abducted while working on a road that would connect Tiom, the Lanny Jaya capital, with Wamena in Jayawijaya regency.
“Lanny Jaya Legislative Council members, Wenemuk Kogoya and Timotius Kogoya, have departed for Kampung Kuanom to negotiate with the local residents to release the hostages,” Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrick in Jayapura on Monday.
Of the six hostages, there are two heavy machine operators, Melky and Musa, and four construction workers, namely Aibon, Julius, Notinus and Wailes.
Rudolf said Sunday that Kuanom residents had taken the six hostage in response to rumors that the Lanny Jaya regent would inaugurate controversial village heads.
Papua Police chief Insp. Gen.Yotje Mende told The Jakarta Post in Jayapura that if within 48 hours Kuanom residents had not released the hostages, security officers would conduct an operation to force their release. (ebf)(+++)
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The Indonesia Journalist Network (IJN) in Papua has condemned the violence perpetrated by Biak Numfor Regent Thomas Ondi against Fiktor Pekambanfan, a journalist with the Cenderawasih Pos newspaper in Biak.
“It was shameful to have such an incident occur while President [Joko "Jokowi" Widodo] was on a visit to Papua,” IJN Papua advocacy coordinator Jeffry Pattirajawane said on Monday.
Disappointed with an article about a fire that engulfed the Biak Market, published on Cenderawasih Pos’ Saturday edition, Ondi beat the article’s author, Fiktor, leaving him badly injured.
Jeffry said the Ondi could have summoned the newspaper’s editorial board or the journalist who wrote the article for clarification rather than carrying out such a violent act.
“Violence is not a good way to solve problems. It’s also not a smart or wise deed, especially because he [Ondi] is the top figure in Biak,” he said.
As reported earlier, regent Ondi was angry because Fiktor failed to mention the efforts undertaken by the Biak Fire Agency to extinguish the blaze.
The Biak Police will look into the beating incident, which occurred at the Ridge Study Studio in Samofa district, Biak, on Saturday.
“Fiktor has reported the case to the Biak Police criminal investigation unit, and we have sent a lawyer team to provide him with legal assistance,” said Jeffry, adding that the Biak regent had also threatened to set the journalist’s house on fire.
Jeffry said IJN would monitor the case until it was taken to court. Without such legal action, the group said, journalists would continue to fall prey to violent acts perpetrated by parties claiming injury from certain media coverage.
“[...] we must put forward constructive communication and dialogue,” said Jorzul, a journalist in Papua. (ebf)(+++)
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Indonesian President Joko Widodo has released five “freedom-fighter” prisoners from the fractious province of Papua and then flown to neighbouring Papua New Guinea, in a last-gasp bid to prevent the Papua independence movement gaining membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
The MSG comprises the national governments of PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu, and has a secretariat in the latter’s capital, Port Vila.
The leading independence movement for the French territory of New Caledonia — the Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) — is already a member, providing a precedent for the Papuans. The MSG will hold a special summit in Port Moresby on May 21 to consider the membership of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua — the latest of a series of umbrella organisations claiming to represent the varied independence groups there.
A final decision will be made at an MSG leaders’ summit expected to be held in Honiara, Solomon Islands, in July or August.
Mr Joko will also seek to ensure through closer relations with PNG — the largest Melanesian country — that Indonesia does not “lose” its Pacific island neighbours to the east in the way it has “lost” Australia through the manner of the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
The President arrived in Port Moresby yesterday, and departs today. Over the weekend, he visited both the Indonesian provinces in the west of the island — Papua, which has an 820km largely mountainous, jungle-clad land border with PNG, and West Papua, further west.
Besides pardoning the prisoners, who were convicted of a raid on a military arsenal in 2013 and sentenced for life — and who have had to admit guilt as a condition of release — he relaxed a travel ban on foreign journalists visiting the restive provinces.
After a meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi 10 weeks ago, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said he supported the admission of representatives of Papua and West Papua to the MSG, which he described as “the ideal forum to foster greater people-to-people relationships between Melanesians”.
Mr O’Neill will host in mid-September the annual leaders’ summit of the region’s senior political organisation, the Pacific Islands Forum, which also includes Australia — and where Papuan independence activists also perennially seek to have a say.
Mr O’Neill said as Mr Joko was about to arrive that “we’ve got very strong relations with Indonesia, which are building from strength to strength”.
But popular sentiment in PNG about its neighbour tends to differ, due to the often marginalised position of their fellow Melanesians across the border.
So Mr O’Neill yesterday urged that Mr Joko be given “a warm welcome, as we do to everybody”.
Mr O’Neill, like previous PNG leaders, has sought to tread a fine line on Indonesian relations.
He has avoided backing independence for Papua and West Papua, an emotive issue for Indonesians, while saying three months ago: “As a country, the time has come for us to speak about the oppression of our people there (Papua).
“We have the moral obligation to speak for those who are not allowed to talk. We must be the eyes for those who are blindfolded. Again, PNG is a regional leader.”
While he is in Port Moresby, Mr Joko will sign a memorandum of understanding between the countries to upgrade co-operation on transnational crime.
The Indonesian President is also expected to raise concerns about PNG’s granting of citizenship to tycoon Djoko Tjandra, who was sentence to two years’ jail in absentia for corruption.
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8) Jokowi Vows to Finish 4,000-km Trans-Papua Highway
Manokwari, West Papua. President Joko Widodo promised on Sunday to finish construction of the planned 3,985-kilometer-long Trans-Papua Highway, setting a new time frame for the project meant to boost development of the country’s easternmost provinces.On a four-day trip to Papua and West Papua, the president said he wanted construction of the highway, which has been postponed due to various reasons since its start in 2013 under the administration of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to finish before 2019 — two years later than originally planned.
“The differences between the western, middle and eastern parts of Indonesia are still visible,” the president said. “When the infrastructure is done, I’m sure the commodities prices in Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua will be more equal. The gap will no longer be as big as we see right now.”
Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono confirmed that everything will be finished by 2019, when Joko’s term ends.
“Some of the problems we’re facing are about land,” the minister said. “We are now trying with local governors and mayors to solve problems with a 30-kilometer stretch of road between Manokwari and Kibar that we haven’t touched for five years,” he said, noting that the president himself would get involved.
The government also announced that it set aside more than Rp 4 trillion ($300 million) to build roads, bridges and homes in West Papua.
Ellen Tangkudung, a transportation expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), said the Trans-Papua Highway is indeed important for local development in West Papua and Papua.
“The problem in Papua is that developing infrastructure there is challenging because it is a mountainous region,” Ellen said. “But the region desperately needs connectivity to ease commodity price disparity.”
Ellen said the government must focus on connecting ports and airports in Papua with roads because that remains the most efficient way to boost development in the region.
GlobeAsia
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9) Police urged to take action against Biak Numfor regent
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Mon, May 11 2015, 4:52 PM -
Around 70 journalists from various print and electronic media outlets in Papua on Monday staged a rally at the Imbi Park in Jayapura, urging the police to take action against Biak Numfor Regent Thomas Ondi for allegedly beating Fiktor Pekambanfan, a journalist with the Cendrawasih Pos newspaper in Biak.
“We urge the police to investigate the beating of Fiktor completely and the investigation of the case should be transferred from the Biak Police to the Papua Police,” said Isak Womsiwor, one of protesters, during the rally on Monday.
The incident, which occurred at the Ridge Study Studio in Samofa district, Biak, on Saturday, left Fiktor with bruises on his face.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Monday, Fiktor said the incident was triggered by an article on a fire that engulfed the Biak Market he wrote and published in the Cenderawasih Pos’ Saturday edition.
“I thought Regent Ondi was just kidding. I had attempted to avoid his punches but he kept punching me in my mouth. I felt five punches,” he said.
The regent was reportedly angry because in his article, Fiktor did not mention the efforts conducted by Biak authorities to extinguish the fire.
“The article was focused on the incident; therefore, we did not write about efforts conducted by the local authorities. This was not because we purportedly aimed to cover up their efforts but it’s simply because we wanted to focus our article on the fire itself,” Cenderawasih Pos editor-in-chief Yonathan Randabunga said.
“This is why we want the Papua Police to handle this case because it would be difficult for the Biak Police to process this case as it involves the top figure in the regency,” he said. (ebf)(+++)
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10) Enhancing indigenous Papuans’ competency through education and training
Supplement | Mon, May 11 2015, 8:09 AM
Partnership allows Freeport Indonesia’s Nemangkawi Mining Institute to reach apprentice candidates living in remote and difficult-to-access areas, and thus supports its commitment to local development.
Young Yery Beana, an indigenous Papuan of Amungme ethnicity, was pleased to hear that there was a highly reputed institute offering free job training programs in Timika, Mimika Regency.
Yet he was at first unsure if he was eligible.
Driven by a strong desire for a better future, the 20-year-old graduate of a junior high school (SMP) in Timika decided to apply for an apprenticeship at the Nemangkawi Mining Institute (IPN).
“It was very fortunate for an indigenous Papuan like me to have an opportunity to receive training at the school,” said softly-spoken Yery, recollecting his initial contact with the school three years ago.
“The first time I touched and held heavy equipment, I told myself that it was time to change my life for a better future,” said the fifth son of a poor farming family.
Despite his initial difficulties in dealing with the institute’s discipline-and-procedure-based environment, he did not give up. “It took about one and a half years for me to adjust to the school’s regulations. It was hard at the beginning but gradually, over the course of three years, I become accustomed to it,” said the 23-year-old, who prepared for a job as a mechanic at copper and gold company PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).
Mikelda, 27, another indigenous Papuan, took a diploma in business administration program at the institute.
The graduate of a senior vocational school (SMK) specializing in accounting was similarly unsure about her future until she joined the institute, where she began a three-year D3 Business Administration Program in 2007.
For Mikelda, the school’s procedures posed no problem, and she was able to adjust within four months. “Classes started at 7 a.m. and I was never once absent. Thank God, I was selected as one of the best students and I was sent to Semarang State Polytechnic for my final one-year assignment,” recalled Mikelda, a member of the Mee ethnic group.
“Thanked to IPN’s strict rules, I’ve been able to easily adapt to my current job,” said the mother of two, who currently works at PTFI’s Community Public Health & Malaria Control Department in Timika.
Yery and Mikelda are among thousands of indigenous Papuans who were equally incapable and uncertain about the future, but who transformed themselves into competent employees following education and training programs at IPN.
Recent data from the institute show that of the 4300 Papuans working as permanent employees at PTFI, 2000 took apprenticeship programs at the institute, meaning that the institute contributed around 46 percent of indigenous Papuan permanent employees.
The data also show that the number of total permanent Papuan employees contributed by the institute, including those working at contractors partnering with PTFI, has reached 2,300 since the institute started operations in 2003.
IPN Superintendent for Miner and Operator Training, Alfons Malentang disclosed that since IPN opened, the number of indigenous Papuans working at PTFI had increased significantly, in line with the institute’s commitment to local development.
With PTFI prioritizing indigenous Papuans in its workforce, the institute has issued a policy highly favorable to them, especially with requirements related to student composition and educational background.
At least 45 percent of apprentices must come from one of seven local ethnic groups, two of which are Amungme and Kamoro, living in Mimika Regency, where PTFI operates. Another 45 percent must be Papuans from outside the regency, also known as “Papuan others”, and the remaining 10 percent must be non-Papuans who have lived in Papua for a certain number of years.
Meanwhile, the minimum educational background for the seven ethnic groups is elementary school, and many are graduates of SMP or SMK.
Mini mining site
However, as Alfons acknowledged, finding indigenous Papuans, especially from the seven ethnic groups, was no simple task. “Many Papuans of Amungme and Kamoro ethnicity live in hinterland villages in remote mountainous areas with little accessibility.”
That’s why the institute partners with Timika Manpower Office and the Amungme and Kamoro Community Development Association (LPMAK), an NGO that manages partnership funds provided by PTFI.
The Timika Manpower Office helps coordinate candidates’ registration or application, while LPMAK, with a strong network among local ethnic groups, “assists us in finding apprenticeship candidates as it can easily reach them,” he said.
Meanwhile, IPN offers a world-class competency-based training system to support apprentice, pre-apprentice and adult education programs.
The eight-hectare mining institute, located at PTFI’s Light Industrial Park (LIP), is equipped with a resource center including a technical library, five classroom blocks, two large workshops and three full-scale underground mining simulation areas with facilities for hauling, loading, dumping and ventilation. There are also 10 simulators for Caterpillars and Western Star trucks and equipment operations.
“This is what we call a mini mining site, because what you’d find in real mining sites can also be found here,” he said.
But producing competent employees is about more than just providing state-of-the art equipment and facilities. Candidates’ behavior in line with work culture and ethics is also essential, according to Alfons.
Mathias Mansoben, 33, one of IPN’s instructors, said that with many indigenous Papuans having low awareness about the importance of education, he also played a role as a motivator to encourage Papuans to pursue further education in order “not to be sidelined”.
“I always tell the students that good behavior is vital in order to earn the respect of others,” he said. “Being an instructor means not just transferring knowledge but changing students’ behavior.”
Exploring the possibility of collaborations
Throughout its more than 10 years in operation, IPN has expanded its programs in line with PTFI’s rising demand for higher-level staff.
Initially, the institute focused only on three areas: heavy equipment mechanics, operators and underground mining workers. More than 20 vocational training fields are currently on hand, including electricity, welding, general construction, shipping, administration, and warehousing.
At the same time, the institute has also recognized the advantages of expanded partnership to ensure the effective running of the program. In 2006, it initiated a partnership with Semarang State Polytechnic for a three-year D3 Business Administration program and a year later, it collaborated with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on a two-year MBA program.
The company had invested around US$15 million in the institute since 2003. “We spend more than $5 million per year on operations, including allowances for apprentices,” Alfons said.
“We still have 372 apprentices and 22 D3 Students in the development process,” he added.
Regarding the future of IPN, especially in relation to funding, he said that efforts were underway to explore the possibility of collaborating with PTFI’s partnering contractors operating in the same region.
Several contractors have expressed their eagerness to partner with IPN, particularly because they are also in need of competent employees. “Thus, in the future, competent human resource-producing programs can continue, with funding coming from different sources,” he said. (Sudibyo M. Wiradji)
Young Yery Beana, an indigenous Papuan of Amungme ethnicity, was pleased to hear that there was a highly reputed institute offering free job training programs in Timika, Mimika Regency.
Yet he was at first unsure if he was eligible.
Driven by a strong desire for a better future, the 20-year-old graduate of a junior high school (SMP) in Timika decided to apply for an apprenticeship at the Nemangkawi Mining Institute (IPN).
“It was very fortunate for an indigenous Papuan like me to have an opportunity to receive training at the school,” said softly-spoken Yery, recollecting his initial contact with the school three years ago.
“The first time I touched and held heavy equipment, I told myself that it was time to change my life for a better future,” said the fifth son of a poor farming family.
Despite his initial difficulties in dealing with the institute’s discipline-and-procedure-based environment, he did not give up. “It took about one and a half years for me to adjust to the school’s regulations. It was hard at the beginning but gradually, over the course of three years, I become accustomed to it,” said the 23-year-old, who prepared for a job as a mechanic at copper and gold company PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).
Mikelda, 27, another indigenous Papuan, took a diploma in business administration program at the institute.
The graduate of a senior vocational school (SMK) specializing in accounting was similarly unsure about her future until she joined the institute, where she began a three-year D3 Business Administration Program in 2007.
For Mikelda, the school’s procedures posed no problem, and she was able to adjust within four months. “Classes started at 7 a.m. and I was never once absent. Thank God, I was selected as one of the best students and I was sent to Semarang State Polytechnic for my final one-year assignment,” recalled Mikelda, a member of the Mee ethnic group.
“Thanked to IPN’s strict rules, I’ve been able to easily adapt to my current job,” said the mother of two, who currently works at PTFI’s Community Public Health & Malaria Control Department in Timika.
Yery and Mikelda are among thousands of indigenous Papuans who were equally incapable and uncertain about the future, but who transformed themselves into competent employees following education and training programs at IPN.
Recent data from the institute show that of the 4300 Papuans working as permanent employees at PTFI, 2000 took apprenticeship programs at the institute, meaning that the institute contributed around 46 percent of indigenous Papuan permanent employees.
The data also show that the number of total permanent Papuan employees contributed by the institute, including those working at contractors partnering with PTFI, has reached 2,300 since the institute started operations in 2003.
IPN Superintendent for Miner and Operator Training, Alfons Malentang disclosed that since IPN opened, the number of indigenous Papuans working at PTFI had increased significantly, in line with the institute’s commitment to local development.
With PTFI prioritizing indigenous Papuans in its workforce, the institute has issued a policy highly favorable to them, especially with requirements related to student composition and educational background.
At least 45 percent of apprentices must come from one of seven local ethnic groups, two of which are Amungme and Kamoro, living in Mimika Regency, where PTFI operates. Another 45 percent must be Papuans from outside the regency, also known as “Papuan others”, and the remaining 10 percent must be non-Papuans who have lived in Papua for a certain number of years.
Meanwhile, the minimum educational background for the seven ethnic groups is elementary school, and many are graduates of SMP or SMK.
Mini mining site
However, as Alfons acknowledged, finding indigenous Papuans, especially from the seven ethnic groups, was no simple task. “Many Papuans of Amungme and Kamoro ethnicity live in hinterland villages in remote mountainous areas with little accessibility.”
That’s why the institute partners with Timika Manpower Office and the Amungme and Kamoro Community Development Association (LPMAK), an NGO that manages partnership funds provided by PTFI.
The Timika Manpower Office helps coordinate candidates’ registration or application, while LPMAK, with a strong network among local ethnic groups, “assists us in finding apprenticeship candidates as it can easily reach them,” he said.
Meanwhile, IPN offers a world-class competency-based training system to support apprentice, pre-apprentice and adult education programs.
The eight-hectare mining institute, located at PTFI’s Light Industrial Park (LIP), is equipped with a resource center including a technical library, five classroom blocks, two large workshops and three full-scale underground mining simulation areas with facilities for hauling, loading, dumping and ventilation. There are also 10 simulators for Caterpillars and Western Star trucks and equipment operations.
“This is what we call a mini mining site, because what you’d find in real mining sites can also be found here,” he said.
But producing competent employees is about more than just providing state-of-the art equipment and facilities. Candidates’ behavior in line with work culture and ethics is also essential, according to Alfons.
Mathias Mansoben, 33, one of IPN’s instructors, said that with many indigenous Papuans having low awareness about the importance of education, he also played a role as a motivator to encourage Papuans to pursue further education in order “not to be sidelined”.
“I always tell the students that good behavior is vital in order to earn the respect of others,” he said. “Being an instructor means not just transferring knowledge but changing students’ behavior.”
Exploring the possibility of collaborations
Throughout its more than 10 years in operation, IPN has expanded its programs in line with PTFI’s rising demand for higher-level staff.
Initially, the institute focused only on three areas: heavy equipment mechanics, operators and underground mining workers. More than 20 vocational training fields are currently on hand, including electricity, welding, general construction, shipping, administration, and warehousing.
At the same time, the institute has also recognized the advantages of expanded partnership to ensure the effective running of the program. In 2006, it initiated a partnership with Semarang State Polytechnic for a three-year D3 Business Administration program and a year later, it collaborated with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on a two-year MBA program.
The company had invested around US$15 million in the institute since 2003. “We spend more than $5 million per year on operations, including allowances for apprentices,” Alfons said.
“We still have 372 apprentices and 22 D3 Students in the development process,” he added.
Regarding the future of IPN, especially in relation to funding, he said that efforts were underway to explore the possibility of collaborating with PTFI’s partnering contractors operating in the same region.
Several contractors have expressed their eagerness to partner with IPN, particularly because they are also in need of competent employees. “Thus, in the future, competent human resource-producing programs can continue, with funding coming from different sources,” he said. (Sudibyo M. Wiradji)
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