The Intricate Justice of Poverty: A Case of The Land of Gold in Papua Indonesia
Article Sidebar
Published
Dec 21, 2022
Main Article Content
Abstract
Natural wealth does not guarantee the welfare of its inhabitants. This case occurred in Papua, the easternmost region of Indonesia, which won the title of the poorest province from 2017 to 2021. Freeport McMoRan, an American mining corporation operating since 1967, failed to present a positive impact on the welfare of the Papuan people despite having dredged a lot of money from Grasberg, one of the largest reserves of gold and copper in the world. This paper reviews the portrait of abject poverty in Papua and analyzes its problems with the rights and justice approach. In conclusion, this paper finds that poverty for the Papuan people is very complicated because it is related to the historical roots of colonialism, capitalism, and armed conflicts. The special autonomy granted by the Indonesian government for twenty years has not been able to provide for people's welfare due to violent conflicts, human rights violations, natural destruction, and corruption. The Indonesian government is obliged to realize justice in the economic, political, and cultural dimensions for the welfare of the Papuan people.
Article Details
How to Cite
Hidayatulloh, H., Erdős, Éva, & Szabó, M. (2022). The Intricate Justice of Poverty: A Case of The Land of Gold in Papua Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 7(2), 557-584. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v7i2.58030
Section
Research Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All writings published in this journal are personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions. Author(s) retain copyrights under the licence of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
References
Anugerah, B. (2020). Papua: Mengurai Konflik dan Merumuskan Solusi. Jurnal Lemhannas RI, 7(4), 51-65. Retrieved from http://jurnal.lemhannas.go.id/index.php/jkl/article/view/111.
Ballard, C., & Banks, G. (2009). Between a rock and a hard place: corporate strategy at the Freeport mine in Papua, 2001–2006 in Resosudarmo, B. P., & Jotzo, F. (Eds.). (2009). Working with Nature Against Poverty: Development, Resources and the Environment in Eastern Indonesia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Cohen, R. L. (Ed.). (1986). Justice: Views from the Social Sciences. New York: Plenum Press.
Cultural Survival, “The Amungme, Kamoro & Freeport: How Indigenous Papuans Have Resisted the World's Largest Gold and Copper Mine,” 1 June 2022, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/amungme-kamoro-freeport-how-indigenous-papuans-have.
Darman, W. (2012). Analisis Strategi Corporate Social Responsibility PT Freeport Indonesia (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Gadjah Mada).
Dewantara, A. M., & Larasati, D. K. (2022). Implementation of Progressive Law in Enforcement of Environmental Law in Indonesia: The Current Problems and Future Challenges. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, 1(2), 237-264. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijel.v1i2.58044
Dickie, R. B., & Layman, T. A. (1988). Foreign Investment and Government Policy in the Third World. Springer.
Elmslie, J. (2003). Irian Jaya under the gun: Indonesian Economic Development versus West Papuan Nationalism. University of Hawaii Press.
Emmerson, D.K. (2005). “What is Indonesia?” in J. Bresnan (ed.), Indonesia: The Great Transition, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Fraser, N. (2009). Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World (Vol. 31). Nww York: Columbia University Press.
Gilbert, J. (2007). Indigenous Rights in the Making: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 14(Issues and 3), 207-230, https://doi.org/10.1163/138548707X208818.
Guinnes, P. (1994), “Local Society and Culture,” in H. Hill (eds.), Indonesia’s New Order: The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Jimenez, J., Pasztor, E. M., Chambers, R. M., & Fujii, C. P. (2014). Social Policy and Social Change: Toward the Creation of Social and Economic Justice. California: Sage Publications.
Keliat, A., Warsono, H., & Kismartini, K. (2021). Response of People in Tanah Papua in Assessing Special Autonomy as a Challenge and Achievement. Jurnal Administrasi Publik: Public Administration Journal, 11(1), 54-68, https://doi.org/10.31289/jap.v11i1.4642.
Kusumaryati, V. (2021). Freeport and the States: Politics of Corporations and Contemporary Colonialism in West Papua. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 63(4), 881-910. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417521000281.
Leith, D. (2002). Freeport and the Suharto regime, 1965-1998. The Contemporary Pacific, 14(1), 69-100, http://doi.org/10.1353/cp.2002.0023.
McKenna, K. (2016). Corporate Social Responsibility and Natural Resource Conflict. New York: Routledge.
Mining Digital Magazine, “Grasberg: The World’s Largest Gold Mine,” May 17, 2020, https://miningdigital.com/smart-mining/grasberg-worlds-largest-gold-mine.
Mutaqin, A. (2013). Otonomi Khusus Papua Sebuah Upaya Merespon Konflik dan Aspirasi Kemerdekaan Papua. Politika: Jurnal Ilmu Politik Undip, 4(1), 5-18, https://doi.org/10.14710/politika.4.1.2013.5-18.
Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents & Translation, “Law on Special Autonomy in Papua is Commitment to Bring Welfare for People: Minister,” 6 June 2022, https://setkab.go.id/en/law-on-special-autonomy-in-papua-is-commitment-to-bring-welfare-for-people-minister/.
Pemerintah Provinsi Papua, “Sekilas Papua,” 25 May 2022, https://www.papua.go.id/view-detail-page-254/sekilas-papua-.html.
Pemerintah Provinsi Papua Barat, “Wilayah Papua Barat,” 25 May 2022, https://papuabarat.bpk.go.id/wilayah-pemeriksaan/provinsi-papua-barat/
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Fact Sheet: Financial Contributions,” 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/site/uploads/images/62845f7c48e05-kontribusi-2022.pdf.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Fact Sheet: Human Resources,” 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/site/uploads/images/628461e50a339-ketenagakerjaan2022.pdf.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Memberdayakan Masyarakat, Melestarikan Kebersamaan,” 6 June 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/id/csr.
PT Freeport Indonesia, “Our Project Area: Forging Cooperation, Ensuring Sustainable Development,” https://ptfi.co.id/en/our-operation-areas.
Raymond Wacks (2006), Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice (a revised edition). Massachusetts, Harvard University Press.
Renyaan, B. M. S., Mantiri, M., & Kasenda, V. (2019). Efektivitas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Pt. Freeport dalam Meningkatkan Pembangunan di Kabupaten Mimika Provinsi Papua. Jurnal Eksekutif, 3(3), https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/index.php/jurnaleksekutif/article/view/28163.
Riyadi, B. S., & Mustofa, M. (2020). Corruption Culture on Managing Natural Resources: The Case Political Crime “Papa asking Stock of PT. Freeport Indonesia”. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 9, 26-36, https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2020.09.04.
Rohim, N. (2014). Optimalisasi Otonomi Khusus Papua dalam Peningkatan Kesadaran Hukum Masyarakat Guna Meredam Konflik dan Kekerasan. Jurnal Fiat Justisia, 8(1), 80-97, https://doi.org/10.25041/fiatjustisia.v8no1.289.
Secretariat of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. (2019). Indikator Kesejahteraan Sosial Utama Provinsi Papua dan Papua Barat. https://www.wapresri.go.id/zoobicon/2021/06/20210217-Buku-Indikator-Kesejahteraan-Sosial-Utama-Provinsi-Papua-dan-Papua-Barat-1.pdf.
Silkenat, J. R., Hickey, J. E., & Barenboĭm, P. (Eds.). (2014). The Legal Doctrines of the Rule of Law and the Legal State (Rechtsstaat) (Vol. 38). Heidelberg: Springer.
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Poverty and Unequality,” 25 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/23/192/1/persentase-penduduk-miskin-p0-menurut-provinsi-dan-daerah.html
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Percentage of Poor Population,” 20 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/23/192/2/percentage-of-poor-population-p0-by-province-and-area.html.
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Human Development Index by Province,” 20 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/26/494/1/-metode-baru-indeks-pembangunan-manusia-menurut-provinsi.html.
UNDP, Human Development Index, 13 June 2022, https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI.
United Nations, ” United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” http://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf.
Viartasiwi, N. (2018). The politics of history in West Papua-Indonesia conflict. Asian Journal of Political Science, 26(1), 141-159, https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2018.1445535.
Virginia Gorlinski, “Papua Province, Indonesia,” 1 June 2022, Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/place/Papua.
Wiessner, S. (2008). Indigenous Sovereignty: Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 41(4), 1141-1176, https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol41/iss4/4/.
WWF, “Freeport Mine,” 1 June 2022, https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/new_guinea_forests/problems_forests_new_guinea/mining_new_guinea/papua_freeport_mine/.
Ballard, C., & Banks, G. (2009). Between a rock and a hard place: corporate strategy at the Freeport mine in Papua, 2001–2006 in Resosudarmo, B. P., & Jotzo, F. (Eds.). (2009). Working with Nature Against Poverty: Development, Resources and the Environment in Eastern Indonesia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Cohen, R. L. (Ed.). (1986). Justice: Views from the Social Sciences. New York: Plenum Press.
Cultural Survival, “The Amungme, Kamoro & Freeport: How Indigenous Papuans Have Resisted the World's Largest Gold and Copper Mine,” 1 June 2022, https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/amungme-kamoro-freeport-how-indigenous-papuans-have.
Darman, W. (2012). Analisis Strategi Corporate Social Responsibility PT Freeport Indonesia (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Gadjah Mada).
Dewantara, A. M., & Larasati, D. K. (2022). Implementation of Progressive Law in Enforcement of Environmental Law in Indonesia: The Current Problems and Future Challenges. Indonesian Journal of Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, 1(2), 237-264. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijel.v1i2.58044
Dickie, R. B., & Layman, T. A. (1988). Foreign Investment and Government Policy in the Third World. Springer.
Elmslie, J. (2003). Irian Jaya under the gun: Indonesian Economic Development versus West Papuan Nationalism. University of Hawaii Press.
Emmerson, D.K. (2005). “What is Indonesia?” in J. Bresnan (ed.), Indonesia: The Great Transition, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Fraser, N. (2009). Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World (Vol. 31). Nww York: Columbia University Press.
Gilbert, J. (2007). Indigenous Rights in the Making: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 14(Issues and 3), 207-230, https://doi.org/10.1163/138548707X208818.
Guinnes, P. (1994), “Local Society and Culture,” in H. Hill (eds.), Indonesia’s New Order: The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Jimenez, J., Pasztor, E. M., Chambers, R. M., & Fujii, C. P. (2014). Social Policy and Social Change: Toward the Creation of Social and Economic Justice. California: Sage Publications.
Keliat, A., Warsono, H., & Kismartini, K. (2021). Response of People in Tanah Papua in Assessing Special Autonomy as a Challenge and Achievement. Jurnal Administrasi Publik: Public Administration Journal, 11(1), 54-68, https://doi.org/10.31289/jap.v11i1.4642.
Kusumaryati, V. (2021). Freeport and the States: Politics of Corporations and Contemporary Colonialism in West Papua. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 63(4), 881-910. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417521000281.
Leith, D. (2002). Freeport and the Suharto regime, 1965-1998. The Contemporary Pacific, 14(1), 69-100, http://doi.org/10.1353/cp.2002.0023.
McKenna, K. (2016). Corporate Social Responsibility and Natural Resource Conflict. New York: Routledge.
Mining Digital Magazine, “Grasberg: The World’s Largest Gold Mine,” May 17, 2020, https://miningdigital.com/smart-mining/grasberg-worlds-largest-gold-mine.
Mutaqin, A. (2013). Otonomi Khusus Papua Sebuah Upaya Merespon Konflik dan Aspirasi Kemerdekaan Papua. Politika: Jurnal Ilmu Politik Undip, 4(1), 5-18, https://doi.org/10.14710/politika.4.1.2013.5-18.
Office of Assistant to Deputy Cabinet Secretary for State Documents & Translation, “Law on Special Autonomy in Papua is Commitment to Bring Welfare for People: Minister,” 6 June 2022, https://setkab.go.id/en/law-on-special-autonomy-in-papua-is-commitment-to-bring-welfare-for-people-minister/.
Pemerintah Provinsi Papua, “Sekilas Papua,” 25 May 2022, https://www.papua.go.id/view-detail-page-254/sekilas-papua-.html.
Pemerintah Provinsi Papua Barat, “Wilayah Papua Barat,” 25 May 2022, https://papuabarat.bpk.go.id/wilayah-pemeriksaan/provinsi-papua-barat/
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Fact Sheet: Financial Contributions,” 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/site/uploads/images/62845f7c48e05-kontribusi-2022.pdf.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Fact Sheet: Human Resources,” 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/site/uploads/images/628461e50a339-ketenagakerjaan2022.pdf.
PT. Freeport Indonesia, “Memberdayakan Masyarakat, Melestarikan Kebersamaan,” 6 June 2022, https://ptfi.co.id/id/csr.
PT Freeport Indonesia, “Our Project Area: Forging Cooperation, Ensuring Sustainable Development,” https://ptfi.co.id/en/our-operation-areas.
Raymond Wacks (2006), Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
Rawls, J. (1999). A Theory of Justice (a revised edition). Massachusetts, Harvard University Press.
Renyaan, B. M. S., Mantiri, M., & Kasenda, V. (2019). Efektivitas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Pt. Freeport dalam Meningkatkan Pembangunan di Kabupaten Mimika Provinsi Papua. Jurnal Eksekutif, 3(3), https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/index.php/jurnaleksekutif/article/view/28163.
Riyadi, B. S., & Mustofa, M. (2020). Corruption Culture on Managing Natural Resources: The Case Political Crime “Papa asking Stock of PT. Freeport Indonesia”. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 9, 26-36, https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2020.09.04.
Rohim, N. (2014). Optimalisasi Otonomi Khusus Papua dalam Peningkatan Kesadaran Hukum Masyarakat Guna Meredam Konflik dan Kekerasan. Jurnal Fiat Justisia, 8(1), 80-97, https://doi.org/10.25041/fiatjustisia.v8no1.289.
Secretariat of the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. (2019). Indikator Kesejahteraan Sosial Utama Provinsi Papua dan Papua Barat. https://www.wapresri.go.id/zoobicon/2021/06/20210217-Buku-Indikator-Kesejahteraan-Sosial-Utama-Provinsi-Papua-dan-Papua-Barat-1.pdf.
Silkenat, J. R., Hickey, J. E., & Barenboĭm, P. (Eds.). (2014). The Legal Doctrines of the Rule of Law and the Legal State (Rechtsstaat) (Vol. 38). Heidelberg: Springer.
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Poverty and Unequality,” 25 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/23/192/1/persentase-penduduk-miskin-p0-menurut-provinsi-dan-daerah.html
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Percentage of Poor Population,” 20 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/23/192/2/percentage-of-poor-population-p0-by-province-and-area.html.
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, “Human Development Index by Province,” 20 May 2022, https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/26/494/1/-metode-baru-indeks-pembangunan-manusia-menurut-provinsi.html.
UNDP, Human Development Index, 13 June 2022, https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI.
United Nations, ” United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” http://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf.
Viartasiwi, N. (2018). The politics of history in West Papua-Indonesia conflict. Asian Journal of Political Science, 26(1), 141-159, https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2018.1445535.
Virginia Gorlinski, “Papua Province, Indonesia,” 1 June 2022, Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/place/Papua.
Wiessner, S. (2008). Indigenous Sovereignty: Reassessment in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 41(4), 1141-1176, https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol41/iss4/4/.
WWF, “Freeport Mine,” 1 June 2022, https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/new_guinea_forests/problems_forests_new_guinea/mining_new_guinea/papua_freeport_mine/.