Jayapura, Jubi – The Chairman of Commission IV of Papua Legislative Council on Mining and Infrastructure, Boy Markus Dawir, urged the Indonesian government to be firm in dealing with the PT Freeport Indonesia.
He said the Indonesian government should be consistent in enforcing rules that PT Freeport have violated, including those on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), exports and the development of a smelter.
“The government must have dignity. Do not let the mining company control and play the game,” Dawir said via cellphone on Monday (26/1).
According to him, Freeport is not a state, only a foreign company that invests and operates in Indonesia, so it should be subject to the rules in force in the country.
“Papua Legislative Council (DPRP)will make Provincial Regulation on mining. When mining regulation is approved, we hope the central government give the authority to the Government of Papua to manage Natural Resources (SDA) in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaker of the DPRP, Yunus Wonda said, the parliament will address the development plan of refining minerals (smelter)of PT. Freeport Indonesia in Gresik, East Java. The legislators are scheduled to hold a joint meeting on Tuesday (27/1).
“We will see how serious the central government to build smelter Papua. If the central government and Freeport insist to build a smelter in Gresik, we concluded that the central government and Freeport are just deceiving the people of Papua, and not serious to develop Papua,” Yunus Wonda concluded. (Arjuna Pademme/Tina)
