This is a comment on an article “Again, high profile figures turn down Bakrie Award,” (The Jakarta Post, July 29).

At the time when W.S. Rendra received the Bakrie Award he was bombarded by people all over Indonesia to refuse the award due to Bakrie’s business record and not least the Lapindo disaster.

Rendra came up with a public appeal during the award ceremony to Aburizal Bakrie personally and the Bakrie family in general to take up their responsibility for the victims of the Lapindo disaster.

Immediately after Rendra’s speech, red-faced Aburizal Bakrie dashed to the podium and proclaimed publicly to the audience and personally to Rendra (since he addressed Rendra personally in his address) that he personally and the Bakrie family would not run from their responsibility and take care of Lapindo victims.

Years have gone since that public proclamation by Rendra: the victims are still waiting for Aburizal Bakrie and the Bakrie family to fulfill their promise.

I believe the Bakries have more than enough money to pay the compensation for the victims, which in their business might be peanuts.

The hard-heartedness has made them callous to the Lapindo victims. Rendra has done his bit for the Lapindo victims by dragging Aburizal to make that public promise.

What Rendra has not counted was that he was not dealing with someone who will do what he has promised.

J. Handojo
Belgium

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