Freeport Thingy Part 3: Answers

saya tau kalo saya nanya terlalu banyak, panjang dan lama. saya super malu dan sesaat menyesali kenekatan saya.

tapi yang lain malah tepuk tangan. entah apa maksud tepuk tangannya, entah mencemooh entah memuji. bodo ah, hahaha

Mr. Arrend memulai jawabannya dengan

"well, if I were in your shoes, maybe I would also say that."

saya, yang bener2 merasa tidak sopan dan menyinggung secara frontal, menyela

"sorry if it is bother you, Sir. you don't need to answer the second question if you don't want to"

Mr Arrend: no, that one of the best question i've ever heard.

ini pujian atau malah litotes atau sinisme, entahlah, saya terlalu nervous untuk mikir.

beliau memulai menjawab

about the first question, in my opinion, your country is such a great potential to be a wealthy country (jawaban standar ini mah, every single bule says that), you have the resources, the lands, and workers. There are many indonesian workers out there, also in america. BUT (ini yang saya tunggu lah, biasa kalo diplomat itu bahasanya sangat sopan) your country seems cannot develop it. The worst thing here is about the CORRUPTION in your country.

saya nyela,

well, so the basic problem in your opinion is on the corruption thing, sir? am i right?

dia nyambung lagi,

yes. I think so. In my views, there are many fields of corruption in Indonesia, and most cases are in the governmental body itself (muka saya saat itu langsung merah). I don't know why, maybe its because the economic condition force people to do that, but I don't hava any idea...corruption is a big threat in america, we as american know that it possibly can ruin everything, economy, politics, etc, so we have strong justice for this. But in this country, even the justice do the corruption, yeah. This corruption thing should be fixed first. I believe if the corruption has been vanished, it will be easy for Indonesia to develop itself.

for the second question, wow this is the tough one. I think i must posize this opinion from myself, not as the american embassy

*cheer in the room*

i know about that news. Actually I update to read about it regularly. Have you seen the site?

saya: yes, sir. for times.

well, about the taxes, at the very first beginning, freeport is a company, not a foundation. it searches for profit, for money. so you also have to realize that profit is the first thing they uphlod rather than environmental case or the fairness of taxes.

One day I had a discussion about this issue with other experts in american embassy, because yeah it's not me who have the main job to watch for this, my specialty is for youth and volunteering.

as you know, freeport not only pay for taxes, they also pay for scholarships, life costs, health insurance of the employees, and develop surrounding. I think it's fair enough.

but if you think it is not, Actually, the availability of gold and other kind of mine in the papua beside coal has been known before the contract signed. The indonesian also knew, but they were being calmed, because of the money that given to them. economically, of course giving certain amount of money to indonesian experts who surveyed papua land to keep silent and not telling the government about the survey is more profitable than pay the taxes fairly right?

that's why i suggest this country to fix the corruption problem first. The problem is not from the freeport, any company will do anything to gain profit, the problem is in the body of the regulator. I myself feel awkward telling you this, telling the bad side of american's company here, but that's life.

saya nanya lagi, ngingetin sih:

and how about the environmental case in papua sir, have you heard about that? is there any action from freeport to solve this?

hmm, yes i've seen the pictures of environment surround freeport. FYI, freeport itself has been protested by people in america for the unfairness and the case of environment. Believe me, there are more american people do go for all your statement, but we cannot do anything without your own action, without indonesian's action. Freeport will still be here if this country never tries to move, because you yourselves decide your destiny, not us. So i give back this situation to your generation. what will you do?

saya ga ngerti jawaban beliau mencari aman, memang sesuai fakta, atau hanya sekedar basa-basi opini. Tapi seenggaknya saya sudah melihat satu opini tentang indonesia dari kacamata orang amerika (yang berintelektual).

Satu kesimpulan yang saya dapat dari komunikasi singkat ini adalah:

Bangsa kita adalah bangsa yang (masih) manja

saya malu mendengar kata2 beliau, seakan2 dari semua statement saya, saya minta bangsa saya dikasihani.

kita ga bisa hanya menyalahkan amerika gara2 ngerusak papua dengan freeportnya, kita ga bisa hanya menyalahkan pemerintah karena korupsi mereka, kita ga bisa hanya menyalahkan presiden atas tindakannya yang (kita anggap) lamban.

mari kita bercermin, teman2. Apa yang sudah kita lakukan untuk bangsa ini?

kalau kamu teriak2 tentang banyaknya pengangguran, jangan cuma bisa teriak, ciptakan lapangan pekerjaan

kalau kamu memprotes kinerja presiden yang kamu anggap ga becus, coba kamu cari agenda kerja presiden, data semua masalah indonesia yang ada, coba posisikan dirimu sbg presiden, beri solusi yang baik atas setiap masalah, lakukan tindakan nyata atas solusi itu. kalau kamu bisa lebih baik dari presiden, silakan protes2.

kalau kamu protes tentang kemiskinan yang semakin parah, coba kamu sendiri yang berusaha menggalang dana untuk mereka yang miskin

kalau kamu ga suka orang yang korupsi, coba lihat dirimu, kamu udah suci dari dosa menyontek belum? selalu on time ga kalo berkegiatan?karena ga ontime dan nyontek adalah bagian dari korupsi juga loh.

kalo kamu koar2 cinta produk indonesia, inget loh kalo motor kamu  masih buatan jepang :)

mungkin kamu bakal bilang, "apa sih, gue masih muda. apa harus dari sekarang mikir begituan?"

para koruptor2 yg skrg di bui jg dulu (kayaknya) mikir begini. kalo kita ikutin, kapan bangsa ini mau berubah?

coba deh diubah jadi,"wah, gue masih muda, harusnya dari sekarang mikir begituan."

cobalah untuk bisa berdampak positif bagi lingkunganmu, mulai dari saat ini, setelah kamu membaca note ini

berani berdampak SEKARANG?