PT Freeport has made many contributions to the people of Papua

PT Freeport has made many contributions to the people of Papua

The assumption that PT Freeport Indonesia did not contribute to development in Papua is a big mistake. PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) President Director Tony Wenas was open about the company's progress in Papua. During the 52 years PTFI was established, he claimed that a lot had been given to the people of Papua.

"If we talk about Freeport, I need to convey it while in front of these millennials, that Freeport Indonesia has been owned by Indonesia since December 21, 2018, 51% of it has been officially paid in full, there is no further signal, it is finished and already in progress. for a year, "he stressed.

As for development in Papua, PTFI does not only focus on infrastructure development, but also on human and economic development. Specifically for infrastructure, he said before Freeport existed, there was no infrastructure in Papua.

"When Freeport was only operating in Papua in 67 and producing 73, there was nothing there. There was no infrastructure. So we have to build it and indeed we build it not only for the benefit of the company but also for the benefit of the community," his claim.

He gave an example of the construction of Mimika Airport. In addition, he said, more than 3,000 houses, bridges and various public facilities had been built by PTFI for Papuans.

"Last year we also finished building a sports complex called Mimika sports complex. It is an athletic sports stadium which is one of the best, later submitted to the government in the framework of PON in Papua 2020," he explained.

On the other hand, he also highlighted the importance of human development. Therefore, PTFI also built 1 hospital and 5 clinics for the people of Papua, aimed at tribal communities in the Mimika district so that they could get free medical treatment.

Not only that, dozens of schools from elementary to high school have also been built. In addition, PTFI is also diligent in holding vocational of training which so far has involved around 4,000 indigenous Papuans. Of that number, 3,000 of them were directly employed as PTFI employees. Now, he said, 40% of PTFI employees are native Papuans.

OPM only considers PT Freeport from a different perspective, OPM considers PT Freeport to not contribute to development in Papua, because OPM has always been preoccupied with rebellion and its efforts to separate from Indonesia.