Indonesian Gold (5 page)

Thereafter, he observed in dismay as large tracts of land
were resumed for direct investment leaving traditional owners sidelined with little, if any,
compensation. Tens of thousands of square kilometers were contracted to foreign miners, whose
financial standing was obviously questionable, the necessary due diligence checks easily avoided
in an environment where corruption ruled. Flamboyant directors steered their stockholders into
relationships and commitments that would have attracted considerable rebuke by their own
country's monitoring authorities, had such activities been undertaken at home. Around Jakarta's
mushrooming bars such as the
George and Dragon
and
The Eastern Promise
language
changed, adapting new terminology to expatriates' lexicons. ‘Farm In' and ‘Farm Out', ‘Contracts
of Work', ‘Diamond' and ‘Core Drilling' virtually became mandatory vocabulary for one to
participate in any bar dialogue as the number of opportunists grew, and deals were struck in the
smoke-filled drinking holes.

Although unpopular with the brokers, Stewart Campbell's
consultancy grew exponentially to the surge in mining activity, his clients, mainly American
interests, keen to evaluate leases on offer by smaller, and under-capitalized corporations,
clearly incapable of developing the concessions they had acquired.

****

Campbell
's driver pulled to
an abrupt halt with an apologetic look, his concerned eyes scanning the internal rear-vision
mirror for his
Tuan's
response. Unexpectedly, a military convoy had punched through the
mid-morning traffic, lead motorcycles' sirens signaling their intrusion, demanding passage and
access to the Senayan Sports Complex where elements of TNI, the Indonesian Armed Forces, were
assembling in preparation for the Heroes' Day parade. On his left, he could see lines of light
tanks, AMX-13s, PT-76s and Scorpions. Saladin and Ferret reconnaissance vehicles were scattered
amongst a large number of the Army's APCs – Saracens, Commando Rangers and Stormers were
prominent. And, above the Asian Games Complex, a squadron of BO-105 helicopters practised
maneuvers for the big day.

Campbell sat in quiet repose as his vehicle continued down
the main protocol road,
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman
, reflecting on how Indonesia's brutal,
military-controlled government had so firmly ensconced itself under President Suharto's
guardianship. He had learned that, in order to succeed in this country, one required access to
all echelons within the TNI military and political machine, as the armed forces had developed
extensive business interests across the nation, penetrating all sectors of the economy – the
mining sector amongst the more recent to attract the generals' interest. Once General Suharto had
assumed power in a
coup d'etat
in 1966, the Javanese and Sumatran generals had set about
monopolizing the Indonesian economy, forging working relationships with Chinese
cukongs
who were only too eager to share in the spoils. Using foundations as their guise, senior officers
accumulated great wealth, the stars on their shoulders guaranteeing their fortunes.

Stewart Campbell accepted that the country
had
benefited under Suharto. Literacy had climbed dramatically, longevity increased, family planning
programs had been implemented and infrastructure projects all provided a standard of living
unknown during the Soekarno years. Nevertheless, the increased levels of disposable income had
come at a price. The dictatorial president's family's domination of all commercial activity
resulted in project cost being inflated to compensate for massive commission payments to the
First Family, their wealth estimated in the tens of billions of dollars as the national debt
spiraled out of control. The First Lady was irreverently referred to as
Madame Ten
Percent
, and not because her given name was Tien. Charities and foundations chaired by Madame
Tien played an integral role in the gathering processes, collecting fees and siphoning off funds
for vested-interest projects. Suharto's sons and daughters led the charge in gutting the economy,
their greed only exceeded by their arrogance as their power and wealth grew to incredible
proportions. Nepotism was alive and well in Indonesia and Campbell accepted that, to survive, it
was essential that he address the situation pragmatically, as had the Chinese.

He was reminded that the Chinese had been targeted during
the 1965-66 anti-communist sweeps across the nation when more than half a million Indonesians
died, surprised how the collective memory of those murderous times failed to identify current
trends. Campbell, conscious of the growing groundswell of indigenous anti-Chinese sentiment,
believed it inevitable that history would repeat itself. The disparity between rich and poor was
growing at an alarming rate, the powerful,
pribumi
Islamic parties becoming more outspoken
in the mosques.

Under the New Order's patronage, new dynasties were
created,
cukong
families such as the Lims and Riyadis enjoying a meteoric rise in their
fortunes and global influence; Mochtar Riyadi's son James, a frequent visitor to Governor
Clinton's offices where he assisted to fill the future president's coffers with re-election
campaign funds. Ranches, banks, condominiums, hotels and casinos in Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore and the United States felt the hand of Jakarta's
nouvea riche
Chinese as they
galloped down the international acquisition trail. And, within Indonesia, steel and flourmills,
cement plants, television broadcast licenses, timber concessions, textile factories, car assembly
and even electric power plants were delivered to those favored by the family living in
Jalan
Cendana
.

****

Campbell
's cell-phone dragged
him out of his reverie.

‘Thought you might have overslept,' the caller admonished.
Campbell checked his wristwatch again, shrugging at being only half an hour late.

‘Just about there, Phil,' he responded, with warmth. The
men had attended the same campus, their friendship often tested by professional considerations.
It had been Samuels who had been instrumental in Campbell's securing work with Baron Mining over
the years, Stewart often acting as the other's local consultant to the multinational.

‘Okay. I'm in Mina's Restaurant,' Samuels advised, just as
Campbell's driver pulled into the hotel's driveway. Campbell hung up and then climbed out,
nodding at the doorman who had opened the car's door.

‘
Selamat datang,Tuan
,' the attendant
welcomed.

‘
Selamat siang
,' Campbell responded, entering the
Sahid Jaya Hotel with leisurely stride, waving at the barrage of beautiful Indonesian
receptionists.

‘
Hallo, Mister Stewart
.' One of the staff, a
Menadonese girl who had dated the foreigner occasionally, smiled, emphasizing the ‘mister' in
playful manner. Campbell stopped for a few moments to exchange pleasantries, enjoying the
customary banter.

‘
Where's your new girlfriend,Tuan?
' she challenged,
hopefully, her body language obvious to all present.

‘
Waiting at home with the others
,' he lied,
enjoying the feigned looks of disgust and surprise as he wheeled and strode off towards the
restaurant. The
maitre d
' greeted Campbell warmly, escorting him to a corner table where
his client waited.

‘Sorry I'm running a little late,' he apologized,
permitting the waiter to unfold his serviette and place this across his lap. ‘Usual traffic
problems,' he added, casting a glance around the magnificent décor. Mina's specialized in Chinese
seafood; the softly lit surrounds were decorated to resemble an outdoor, provincial fishing
village. Fishing nets strung from a main mast pole centered amongst the buffet selections added
to the ambience, whilst miniature, thatched roofs built above tables added the finishing
touches.

Campbell
surveyed the
clientele, acknowledging an occasional wave from some, ignoring others. In the far corner he
spotted a group deep in conversation, recognizing two of the men as Alex Kremenchug and Eric
Baird. Kremenchug spotted Campbell, the forced smile and raised-glass requiring Stewart to
respond.

‘You know those guys?' Samuels asked, glancing over his
shoulder.

‘Sure,' Campbell replied. ‘Permanent expats. Been around
for years.'

‘And the one in the suit?' Campbell glanced over
again.

‘The one sitting facing the others?' He took a brief
moment to examine the man in question then shook his head. ‘No,' he answered slowly and with some
uncertainty. ‘Can't say that I do.' Again he glanced over at the tall, middle-aged foreigner
whose cheeks were partially covered with long, untidy, gray sideburns. Then Campbell frowned –
something triggered his memory suggesting that he had seen the face before. ‘I'm not sure.' He
glanced over again, then shook his head, ‘Should I?'

Phil looked at Stewart with raised eyebrows. ‘I'm
surprised,' he said, fidgeting with the silver cutlery unconsciously. ‘Thought all you ‘geos'
knew each other.' The statement required no answer but Campbell's curiosity had been
aroused.

‘Well?' he pressed, annoyance creeping into his voice.
‘Who is it?'

The other man smiled smugly, leaned back as the waiter
reappeared and reset the cutlery. ‘It's Christopher Fielding, for Chris-sakes,' he revealed,
sotto voce
, watching for his consultant's reaction. Campbell frowned again, snapped a
quick look at the man then nodded, as if deep in thought.

‘Well, I'll be...' The words fell from his lips, softly,
quite taken by surprise. ‘Now what would
he
be doing in Jakarta?' he asked, rhetorically,
his mind switching into gear as he recalled reading of the internationally renowned geologist's
recent skirmishes with the Canadian courts. He could not resist glancing over again, his eyes
locking with Alex Kremenchug's as he did so. Campbell smiled weakly and turned to his client. ‘Oh
to be a fly on
that
wall,' he suggested, lightly.

‘Who are the others?' Samuels asked. Campbell shrugged his
shoulders and sampled the mineral water as their attentive waiter withdrew.

‘The short one with the anemic complexion is Eric Baird.
Been around since the mining boom started. He's Australian. The tall guy with the permanent
suntan and safari jacket is Alex Kremenchug. Not sure of his origins but is quite thick with
Baird. They've had their fingers in a number of small mining ventures but nothing of any
significance.' Campbell hesitated before continuing, reluctant to give all. ‘Word is, Baird is
not overly fond of the ladies, if you get my drift. He drinks far too much but knows his stuff.
As for Kremenchug, he's suave, intelligent, but bullshits about his credentials too much for me.
Rumor has it that he was asked to resign a directorship in some Aussie mining firm for dumping
his shares without advising the exchange. He left the country not long after that and appeared
here, sniffing around for leases. His knowledge of geology is purely empiric. A couple of years
back he encouraged a group to invest in an alluvial deposit in Sulawesi based on surveys carried
out by that little guy sitting alongside him.' Campbell nodded with a tilt of his head in Eric
Baird's direction. ‘I saw the initial sampling reports and later ran across one of the drillers
who had worked on the survey. Kremenchug had given one of his drinking buddies the nod to build
percussion rigs for the job.

Of course, every time the hammer drove the pipe stem down,
whatever gold may have been in the sample kept on falling to the bottom. There was very little
recovered, Baird furious with Kremenchug at the time. The driller also revealed that they were
pulled out of the field, and sent back to Jakarta. Seems that Kremenchug and Baird then used
local tribesmen to complete the sampling procedures. The next thing we know is that the value of
the foreign partner's shares had multiplied fourfold, based on those results.'

Samuels considered this and again lowered his voice.
‘Well, they're in good company,' a thin crease suggesting a smile crossed his lips, before
breaking to a smirk. ‘Fielding's broke,' he claimed, breaking a hot bread roll in half. ‘After
that ball-breaking wife of his had finished working him over there wasn't much left to cover his
debts.' Campbell watched as his client smothered the bread rolls with peppered pate and stuffed
these in mouth, sucking the ends of his fingers as he related events leading up to Fielding's
demise. ‘A receiver was appointed and, the way I heard it, he entered into some sort of
arrangement with his creditors. Considering his finances, I'm surprised he's over here. Who would
ever have thought it possible? A guy discovers one of the greatest minerals finds in history and
ends up with nothing! Just goes to show you…'

****

Across the restaurant, Fielding leaned closer to his
colleagues so as not to be overheard. ‘How much work-up will be required?' he asked, pointedly,
directing the question to Eric Baird. The Australian geologist had anticipated the question and
was well prepared to defend the report.

‘Not a great deal,' Baird replied. ‘I've walked the
property extensively and the initial sampling results are very encouraging.' Baird then went on
discussing the geological aspects of the concession that both he and Kremenchug had offered the
Canadian.