2) Rare visit by New Zealand journalists to West Papua
3) Opposition to plans for new Papua provinces
4) A Papua church leader says religious extremism has the potential to cause problems for local society.
5) Haze Affects Flights and Betel Nut Sales in Timika
6) Do not allow Freeport to sell shares through IPO, Lawmaker
7) Papua Governor lukewarm on MSG move
8) Cultural Destruction, Land Conversion Threaten Indigenous Papuans
9) Let’s Support PT. Freeport’s Divestment
10) Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Gas Cooperation Begins
1) Call for Indonesia to focus more on development in Papua
Updated at 7:36 pm today
A West Papuan NGO representative focussed on development, environment and rights says the indigenous people of Indonesia's Papua region need a more attentive development effort from Jakarta.
Septer Manufandu, who is the executive secretary at Jerat Papua, says development involving Papuans continues to lag, partly due to a lack of recognition of various basic rights of Papuans and also because government agencies aren't always listening to the needs of Papuans.
Mr Manufandu told Johnny Blades that while Indonesia's government system accommodates a big budget for Papua development, and provisions for rights protections, it's not always observed on the ground.
Septer Manufandu: In the National Government committed how to handle the human rights in Indonesia but specifically in Papua. Because they have a human right commission in national level, and then also they have regulation, how to, regulation about the human rights. And then also every institution in Government thinks about the human right, knowledge, but the problem is behaviour of the aparatus in Papua also military and police not chance.
Johnny Blades: It hasn't changed at all? I mean recently we heard the military commander apologising, even the Police?
SM: Yeah the top level is changing, but in practically in the ground no, I think so.
JB: What is the chances of reform in those forces, do you think it's going to happen?
SM: Yeah, will say in the nation specific in Papua, trying to move government, to seriously, how to use, the national agenda for make change in Indonesia, specific in Papua. The Papua Police from Government perspective is like red area, that's why different context to how to deal with the Papua issue. Sometimes we, difficult to deal with the military or Government because their perspective about the Papua people and also Papua place is like distance between them, and between us. We have Papua people talking about development, development rights. They say ah you want to want to fill it all and when we are talking about the land, right of the land, we are talking about the right of the health, when we are talking about the right of education. They said ah we already give the money, sent the money, huge money to you under specific autonomy law. But how you can still, you want more money, you want more freedom.
JB: So you think the think the government has a clear vision of how to provide those basic services properly?
SM: For my own perspective, we said the Government of Indonesia under now, run away from the root problems. The root problem is, used to be Papua have like, Papua people like traumatised about the situation. Traumatised just, we can deal not with, deal with the money, deal with how to build the trust, and build the communication. When we want to, talking about the trust, talking about the traumatise we invite them, sit together and talking. Not just blame you lack of capacity, not just blame them primitive, not just blame you already sent more money to the Government here.
JB: Has special autonomy failed in your view?
SW: Yeah, based on the recent evaluation Papua people possibly already make the evaluation. Also the University, Cendrawasih University also make the evaluation. The data we can use to negotiate again with the Government how to make the big chance about the situation in Papua, regular, start from Government and then immigration. But also how to build the development planning, as people to involve in the development planning, not just like come and then see and then writing the planning, and then send to Government for, get them more money.
JB: There are plans for carving up Papua into yet another province or two, that's going to be problematic do you think?
SW: Still the separate, the Papua for three or four province, still we can't issue until now. Now the Government have plan for create more province in Papua. Like highlands province, south province, around Merauke and neighbour district. Also Sarmi, Sarmi district, Sarmi province they still have agenda for that. My opinion is we don't need the province, we just need development. When we are talking about development, concrete development in the district, in the sub-district. How to government create good facility in the, education, health, in the sub-district and the district. Not create more province, it seems like we create new problems, and then a lot of money can transfer from central government to province and then many corruption in the province level and then they don't care about the situation on the ground. That's why I said focus on how to improve the development in the sub-district and the village and also the district.
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2) Rare visit by New Zealand journalists to West Papua
Updated at 8:42 am today
A relaxation of the ban on media in the Indonesian-controlled province of West Papua has allowed Radio New Zealand International to send journalists into the region.
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3) Opposition to plans for new Papua provinces
Updated at 4:38 pm today
A note of caution has been sounded about Indonesian government plans to carve up another province out of Papua region.
This comes as lawmakers look set to create two more provinces in the Indonesian territory of New Guinea.
Plans to create more than the two existing provinces in the Papua region have been on the table for years but are considered by opponents to be against Papua's special autonomy provisions.
Septer Manufandu of the NGO, Jerat Papua, says Papua doesn't need more provinces, it needs development
"When we're talking about development, concrete development in the district and in the sub-district, how do government create good facility in education, health, in the sub-district and the district - [and] not create more problems ... it seems like we create the new problems."
Septer Manufandu says development involving Papuans continues to lag, partly due to a lack of recognition for the basic rights of Papuans and also because government agencies aren't always listening to the needs of Papuans.
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4) A Papua church leader says religious extremism has the potential to cause problems for local society.
Religious extremism lurks in Papua, says Reverend
Updated at 11:47 am today
Reverend Dormon Wandikbo is a leading member of the GIDI, or Gereja Injili di Indonesia, a Protestant church which, unlike other leading Protestant churches in Papua, has a presence in other parts of Indonesia.
He says media reports about the recent burning of a small mosque in Tolikara largely mis-represented relations between different faiths.
He says the Tolikara incident was not a conflict between Muslims and GIDI Christians as reported by mainstream media.
"Because Muslims and GIDI people there, they don't know what happened there. There's another people who created the conflict. Because we know during 20 years, nothing happened there. But last incident, in July, it happened and we know that it was created by other people there."
Reverend Wandikbo adds that two teenagers arrested for the incident should be freed.
He says while local followers of Muslim and Christian faiths generally coexist peacefully, there are isolated cases of extremist radicalization of religion in Papua.
"The issue exists here, and I think this issue will create a new conflict. But in Papua we recognise that there is a Muslim group that we call Front Pembela Islam which already exists here."
The reverend was in Jayapura this month to meet with representatives of the GIDI church from Jakarta to foster economic empowerment by members of their church.
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5) Haze Affects Flights and Betel Nut Sales in Timika
Timika, Jubi – The haze that blankets the city of Timika has disrupted flights and triggered a rise in betel nut prices.
Betel nut proces have risen to 200,000 per kilogram, a more than 100 percent increase from 75,000 per kg previously.
“It’s been four days the sale was decreased. No supplies from Jayapura today, while the price of local betel nut is slightly rising,” said Udin who sell the betel nut at the location of old Swadaya Market on Monday (19/10/2015).
“It’s been four days the sale was decreased. No supplies from Jayapura today, while the price of local betel nut is slightly rising,” said Udin who sell the betel nut at the location of old Swadaya Market on Monday (19/10/2015).
He said the haze blankets Timika for last few days has stopped the flight from and to Timika and cause the lack of betel nut supplies of both sellers and distributors at the ex-Swadaya Market.
“The stocks of local betel nut is still enough but the price is higher than Jayapura’s,” he said.
“The stocks of local betel nut is still enough but the price is higher than Jayapura’s,” he said.
The local betel nut is sold for 20 thousand rupiahs per stack.
Since the haze covered the city, the betel nut selling activity is reduced. The tables are usually used to put the betel nut are clean, because the traders are temporary not closed. A resident of ex-Swadaya Market, Karel Kogoya, said the haze has caused him difficult to find the betel nut.
“I have a habit of chewing the betel nut. Although the price of the local betel nut is higher, I still buy it. No Jayapura’s betel nut,” he said.
“I have a habit of chewing the betel nut. Although the price of the local betel nut is higher, I still buy it. No Jayapura’s betel nut,” he said.
Based on the information on the ground, earlier the betel nut was sold for five to ten thousand rupiahs per stack (five to ten fruits), but now its price becomes two to thirty thousand rupiahs per stack. (Eveerth Joumilena/rom)
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6) Do not allow Freeport to sell shares through IPO, Lawmaker
thejakartapost.com | Business | Thu, October 22 2015, 12:22 PM -
Indonesia has to reject any efforts aimed at carrying out PT Freeport Indonesia’s obligation to sell shares through an initial public offering (IPO), said Commission VII member from the National Democratic Party Kurtubi Umar.
He rejected Sudirman Said’s opinion about Freeport’s possible IPO to implement the divestment obligation. The Finance Minister was also reportedly supporting the IPO option, in agreement with Indonesia Stock Exchange’s (IDX) CEO.
"The objectives of the mandatory divestment would fail if it was done through an IPO. In my opinion, the state must buy the shares through a state-owned enterprise [SOE]," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday in Jakarta.
The State Owned Enterprise (SOE) Minister Rini Soemarno had asked PT Aneka Tambang Tbk and PT Inalum to act on behalf of the government to purchase the divested 10 percent of shares from Freeport Indonesia.
Antam is Indonesia’s SOE operating in gold mining and gold processing in Indonesia while Inalum is a metal producer SOE that is now eyeing the construction of a new mine.
Through an IPO, Kurtubi said, the state would not gain any real benefit from the divestment as Freeport might buy back its floating shares—after the IPO was conducted—through foreign special purpose vehicles (SPV).
According to the law, Freeport has to divest 10.64 percent of its shares to the government, increasing Indonesia’s stake in the giant copper and gold miner to 20 percent, from the preliminary ownership of 9.46 percent.
By 2019, Freeport—the subsidiary of the US’ giant miner Freeport McMoran Inc.--has to sell 30 percent of its shares to Indonesia. (ags/dan)(++++)
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7) Papua Governor lukewarm on MSG move
Updated 31 minutes ago
The Governor of Indonesia's Papua province Lukas Enembe says moves to form a Melanesian Brotherhood among five Indonesian provinces is mainly about politics.
The governor was explaining his reluctance to travel to the recent signing of the Brotherhood agreement in Ambong.
It followed July’s decision by the Melanesian Spearhead Group to grant observer status to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.
The MSG is also considering a role in the group for the five Indonesia provinces which Jakarta says have strong Melanesian ethnic stock: East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua.
Governor Enembe says this group is full of political interests.
"I'm part of the Indonesian government in Papua. So I have no interests in talking on politics or even international affairs. Because we don't have right to talk about international affairs. That's Jakarta's problem, it's not our problem. I can't see this point of including the five provinces. Jakarta can just do it on behalf of us. So we don't need to be included."
The MSG's full members are Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Movement.
Indonesia itself has associate member status at the MSG.
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8) Cultural Destruction, Land Conversion Threaten Indigenous Papuans
Jayapura, Jubi – The destruction of Papuan culture is gradually happening and is threatening the lives of indigenous people, a student group said.
The issue at heart is not the reduced number of Papuans, or a number of birth and mortality. But the most important is the lost of cultural values, replacement pattern (ignoring the sacred land), a ban to used the local languages in some urban schools, as well as the lost of local content education in school, said the Chaiman of Papua Highland Student Association in Indonesia (AMPTPI) for Eastern Indonesia Region, Natan Naftali Tebai.
He said the most crucial is the lost of tenure rights on land, water and the values of life. “The process of land conversation such as the sago forest was destroyed becoming the oil palm plantation was counted as the process of the extermination towards the values and heritage plant in Papua,” Tebai said in Jayapura on Monday (19/10/2015).
According to him, once Papua was recognized as the sago barn but it is now recognized as the oil palm barn. During the time the number of population in Papua is still politicized by some bureaucracy elites, therefore the population of Papua blooms up to more than three million.
“The Papua Provincial Government should be firm and realistic about the population number of indigenous people. The Regional Parliament, Papua Representative Council, Papua’s People Assembly and Papua Provincial Government do not stay still and watch the reality of genocide,” Tebay said.
“The Papua Provincial Government should be firm and realistic about the population number of indigenous people. The Regional Parliament, Papua Representative Council, Papua’s People Assembly and Papua Provincial Government do not stay still and watch the reality of genocide,” Tebay said.
He added they must establish the strategic stages, such as forming the Special Regional Regulation, establishing the particular institution to manage the migrants and provide sanctions over them if necessary.
“This is also prohibiting the development process. The Central Government also implements several policies that are not synergy with the Governor’s policies. Thus the regents and majors must observe this situation, therefore they shouldn’t necessarily ask the Central Government for supports,” he said.
It could be seen through several oil palm plantation companies, illegal logging and illegal fishing were happened without prior communication with the Provincial Government.
Further he asked the Papua Governor to immediately issue the regulation about the population restriction and form a special body about the population issue in Papua. He also suggested the requirement of the regulation of local transmigration regulation both people and government officials.
Earlier, the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe said the transmigration program in Papua initiated by the Minister of Village, Rural Development and Transmigration Marwan Jafar was a depopulation threat for indigenous Papua.
“We have rejected the transmigration program from the Central Government. If still want to realize it, it should be a local transmigration instead of replacing people from Java or other regions to Papua. Replacing poor people to Papua means taking a problem to Papua. It’s not only related to the economy or the employment or the social problem, but I do worried that the program would reduce the number of indigenous Papua on this land in ten or twenty years; depopulation of indigenous Papua,” Enembe told Jubi at his official resident on Saturday evening (17/10/2015) in Jayapura.
“We have rejected the transmigration program from the Central Government. If still want to realize it, it should be a local transmigration instead of replacing people from Java or other regions to Papua. Replacing poor people to Papua means taking a problem to Papua. It’s not only related to the economy or the employment or the social problem, but I do worried that the program would reduce the number of indigenous Papua on this land in ten or twenty years; depopulation of indigenous Papua,” Enembe told Jubi at his official resident on Saturday evening (17/10/2015) in Jayapura.
Further he said until today no institution has the valid data about the number of indigenous People. So how could we protect the indigenous Papua of the transmigration is still running without knowing the accurate data on the number of indigenous people. (Abeth You/rom)
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9) Let’s Support PT. Freeport’s Divestment
Jakarta, Jubi – International NGO Forum on Indonesia Development (INFID) expressed support for the government’s demand for PT. Freeport to divest its shares, saying it should be done within this year.
However, INFID executive director Sugeng Bahagijo said the organization has not conducted a study on the matter and was inviting other parties to support the divestment.
“I think the Minister Rizal Ramli has said enough and we, including people from Papua, must give him the support,” he told Jubi during the break in the Sixth Financial Transparency Conference held in Jakarta in the cooperation of the Financial Transparency Coalition, Prakarsa Jakarta and Transparency International Indonesia on Tuesday (20/10/2015).
“I think the Minister Rizal Ramli has said enough and we, including people from Papua, must give him the support,” he told Jubi during the break in the Sixth Financial Transparency Conference held in Jakarta in the cooperation of the Financial Transparency Coalition, Prakarsa Jakarta and Transparency International Indonesia on Tuesday (20/10/2015).
According to him, although his institution has not yet conducted a research and study about PT. Freeport’s divestment in Indonesia, but the Minister Rizal Ramly has mentioned it for several times.
“About the sale of shares to other parties through the Initial Public Offering (IPO), we should be careful because Freeport might purchase it through other companies while the money was actually from theirs,” he said.
“About the sale of shares to other parties through the Initial Public Offering (IPO), we should be careful because Freeport might purchase it through other companies while the money was actually from theirs,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Sudirman Said, told reporters in Jakarta after meeting with the Commission VII/Indonesian House of Representative on Monday (19/10/2015) that PT. Freeport’s share divestment should be executed within this year.
According to him, the mechanism of divestment is delivered to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprise because the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is attempting the divestment could be realized within this year, said the Minister Said.
Further, the Article 112 of Regulation 112 UU No.4/2009 states that after five years of operation, the business entities holding the Mining Business Permit (IUP) and Special Mining Business Permit (IUPK) whose shares owned by the foreign company must divest their shares to the Government, Local Government, State-Owned Company, and the Regional Owned Company as well. Further it’s regulated in the Government Regulation (PP) No.7/2014 about the implementation of the Mineral and Coal Business Activity. PT. Indonesia Asahan Aluminium Persero (Inalum) told Kompas.com on Monday (19/10/2015) about their readiness to divest PT. Freeport’s shares, but it still calculates the shares values it would take. Also it is still considering to take it by their own or incorporating with other companies.
“In term of internal cash condition, we’re ready. But related to the amounts (should be prepared), we should calculate it first,” said the Inalum Executive Director Winardi while saying the calculation would lead whether financing resource would be 100 percent from the company’s cash flow or credits from the bank.
He admitted buying Freeport’s divestment is the assignment of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) Rini M. Soemarno. He said if State or State Company took over the shares, Indonesia would get more economic profit from PT. Freeport than by the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Earlier, the Coordinating Minister of Maritime Rizal Ramli said the contract extension for PT. Freeport would not give benefit to Indonesia because it only pays one percent royalty. Ramli stated three points in regards to Freeport’s contract extension: first, he called the official who agreed about the extension as misguided, since the Indonesian Government is still not missing a lot of things, because during the period of 1967-2014, Freeport only paid one percent of gold royalty to Indonesia, while it paid 6 percent to other countries.
Second, Freeport was not responsive in managing the toxic waste which endanger the environment, especially in Indonesia. The third reason is Freeport has not implemented its obligation as the contract of work holder, namely divestment of some shares to Indonesian company. Further, the contract extension is illegal or against the law because the extension could be done at least two years before termination. (Dominggus Mampioper/rom)
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THURSDAY, 22 OCTOBER, 2015 | 13:44 WIB
10) Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Gas Cooperation Begins
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has started to collaborate with Papua New Guinea Papua to develop oil and gas blocks located in the eastern parts of Indonesia.
I Gusti Nyoman Wiratmadja, director general of oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said the cooperation is in line with the DG's plan to move the sector's activities towards the east.
"Privates can also gain profits from this collaboration," Nyoman said on Wednesday, October 21.
In the initial stage, the two nations will swap information on oil and gas policies, hold joint surveys and studies, and manage liquefied natural gas (LNG). All activities will be supervised by a recently established working group comprising of experts from both countries.
Wiratmadja said several SOEs that can benefit from the cooperation include PT Pertamina (Persero) and PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero).
"Papua New Guinea has a bountiful of oil, gas and mineral recources that are barely explored," Nyoman said.
In May, President Joko Widodo signed three bilateral agreements in the energy sector with the New Guinean government during his visit there.
The agreements cover operational cooperation for border-area oil and gas resources, license easing for the construction of fertilizer plants, and electricity sales-and-purchase (SPA) agreement between PT PLN (Persero) and PNG Power Ltd.
ROBBY IRFANY
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