land access agreements, page-39

I have read a number of questions/comments made to me on this thread since my last post where I simply gave a frank assessment of the levels of bureaucracy one has to go through here to get anywhere.Most I'm not going to respond to but Tenbigones I will respond to your "comments".
Firstly I wonder have you ever taken a drive through the back blocks of Java or Sumatra? I doubt it.I have many many times and all too frequently I/we are confronted with informal tollbooths consisting of 44 gallon drums and bamboo with a dozen or so guys with small wispy beards,calloused foreheads( if one doesn't use/have a prayer mat and one bangs their head forcefully on a tiled or cement floor 5 times a day...yep one ends up with a peculiar callouse on one's forehead),sticks and a bucket DEMANDING a contribution for the upkeep/renovation/building of a nearby mosque.Yes I said no the first time it happened...I don't say no anymore ...the "donation" is cheaper then repair work to panels. But on a trip late last year of only 130 kms we were stopped 10 times!
Or when you run a factory or shop and the local mosque representatives arrives(as does the RT and RW and police)seeking a regular donation and in return will offer "security".When for the Muslim day of sacrifice Idul Adha everyone is "encouraged" to donate a sheep or cow for sacrifice...and you get told that no a goat is not acceptable from you as they reckon you can afford a cow. There are so many impediments to doing anything here, nearly anyone with any power/position here will exploit that to the fullest. You cannot begin to imagine the level of corruption here from every level of society ...it is pervasive and getting worse by the day.
That said I do live here by free choice and do have many good friends and have known some great hard workers(many becoming good friends) of all faiths, Muslim,Hindu,Buddhist and Christian.Have things changed in the 13 or so years I have lived here?Yes they have markedly.Am I cynical about things here in Indonesia? Yes. My "rose coloured glasses" got permanently retired a little over a year ago (nothing to do with QPN).
Have a read of the Jakarta Post newspaper.Australia is up in arms about corruption in NSW with the grant of coal leases...Try to imagine when about 20 members of parliament and about the same number of judges,police generals,governors and regents are convicted of bribery,corruption and collusion.They are just the ones already convicted! The most recent racket busted was controlled by the PKS (a purportedly pious Muslim party) and involved the issuing and "sale" of permits to import frozen beef. About $10M a year has been/is being paid in bribes/fees/deals for the government controlled quotas.For the importers who won't pay ...no quota which means your business is now dead.Do some reading on the Islamic Defenders Front while you are at it
You might wonder if I have ever had a business here ...yes I had one and ran a PTMA with 280 staff...and no I will never open another one here.
Bukka you know in all the time I have posted on the QPN threads I have never had a bad word to say about QPN's ground....that's what I focus on primarily...the quality of the ground/tenement any company has.What I had to consider though was,my capital protection and allocation and all company's cash position,ability to pay to drill wells,management,regulation and more recently the disbanding of BPMIGAS and what led to that happening.
I really do hope you all make a motza on QPN...they have some nice ground.