World Report

Jayapura Developers must respect the local community

queezed into a picturesque jungle valley on the northern coast of the island of Papua, the port of Jayapura is the easternmost town in Indonesia.
It is an attractive and lively city, thanks not only to its native population but to the many people who have settled here from all over the Indonesian archipelago.

“We need to spread the word around the world that our kabupaten has abundant resources. Any investor who wants to come here is welcome,” says Habel M. Suwae, Bupati of Jayapura.
The biggest project currently being considered in the area is the construction of a number of hydroelectric power stations along the Mamberamo river, described as the Amazon of Papua.
A study by the Indonesia state electricity enterprise and Japan’s Nippon Koei company estimated that 14 dams could generation up to 20,000 MW of power per year.

The Mamberamo river runs through a vast area of virtually unexplored terrain and is home to tribes that have almost no contact with the outside world. It is also home to the famous Irian crocodile and at least 2,750 other species.
Last September the head of Mamberamo Hydroelectric and Industry Development, L.M. Sianipar, said that the development of the Mamberamo had to take the prosperity of the Papuan community into consideration.
“The first developments must be in education, followed by plantations, animal husbandry, fisheries, mining and shipping. The isolated areas must be opened up to both land and sea,” he said.

The project, first mooted in the early ‘90s, foresees using the power to develop a large industrial complex that could include aluminium production, petrochemical works, steel, copper, gold and nickel industries, pulp and paper factories, a dockyard, an automotive factory and an installation for manufacturing diesel from coconut oil.
Mr Suwae says, “We would like investors who come here to observe and respect the rights of the local people. Everything should be discussed together. If a project is profitable for the people, we will approve it.”

“Regional authority has enabled us to manage our own affairs. Our vision is to establish an independent and self-
sufficient community, which can fulfil basic needs such as food, clothing and housing,” he says.