My Dad, Richard Ness, is the President Director of PT Newmont Minahasa Raya and is currently on trial in Indonesia.
He and my step mom Nova, have five sons. My step Mom was born in Indonesia and Dad has spent a total of over 20 years in various parts of Indonesia and also in other parts of the world. My younger bother was born in Australia.
Dad was born and raised on a farm in Northern Minnesota. He attended Moorhead Technical Institute, and on graduating was employed by a Caterpillar heavy equipment dealership. Seven years later, he made the decision to change career paths, returning to teach at the same technical institute he had graduated from.
In 1979 he took a sabbatical leave, packed up his family, and traveled to Indonesia to accept a consulting assignment to design and develop a maintenance program and mechanical training curriculum for Freeport’s Mine in Papua, East Indonesia. He later joined Freeport and lived in Papua for 10 years where he spent some of his time learning the rich culture and exploring the rugged beauty of that part of the world. I remember he spent time in various villages assisting in the development of health and education infrastructure. He later moved to Jakarta as Vice President of the company.
His responsibilities in Jakarta, included promotion of local procurement, and he conducted several feasibility studies, including a study for a copper smelter. In addition he focused on any opportunity to expand business in Indonesia. Dad continued his interest in economics and development through further studies at Harvard Business School.
Without doubt, it is Dad’s belief that the biggest enemy of the environment is poverty, and poverty can only be overcome with positive policy changes. Through his work in Indonesia, Dad has been part of a team which has created over 23,000 direct jobs for the Indonesian people and maybe four times that many in indirect employment plus represents in excess of $6 billion in direct investment into the Indonesian economy.
That was what Dad did for a living. He lives his life in trying to make the world a better place. He has been the Mining Chair of both the American Chamber of Commerce as well as the Mining Chair for the International Chamber for several years, promoting both investment and legislative reform. He was also First Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, often traveling to Washington D.C. to lobby the US Government on behalf of Indonesia on array of issues ranging from trade, investment to foreign policy. He is currently on the Executive Board and former Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Mining Association promoting responsible mine development and legislative improvements that would benefit both Indonesia and investors.
On the international front, he has represented the International Chamber of Commerce as a United Nations delegate to both regional assemblies as well as representing business at the United Nations 10 year World Summit for Sustainable Development, helping outlining how governments and the private sector work together to reduce poverty and set the 10 year millennium goals at the United Nations Assembly.
In Johannesburg, one of the Indonesian projects showcased as a partnership initiative included a project that a group of Dad’s employees had worked on with the local universities and dive association to undertake a major reef coral reef rehabilitation project in North Sulawesi. At the time, this was the single largest private sector reef rehabilitation project in the world and has continued to be very successful.
My Dad has worked and been a delegate representing Asian region to the World Bank on their world wide Extractive Industries Review; with a similar focus on how oil, gas and mining can reduce poverty and improve living standards of developing nations. He also helped co-author the economic section of the plan for the Council of Foreign Relations on how economic development can help reduce conflict in Papua. None of these activities were part of his formal job, and they took precious time away from his family, however, he firmly believed that if one does not take the time help change the world along with the environment that we live in, by fighting to reduce poverty in an ever growing world population, the conditions for the poor and underprivileged will only get worse.
Do my parents practice what they preach?
Yes they do! Dad’s main social focus at work is poverty reduction – health – education – environment. At home, Mom and Dad have, and continue, in supporting literally 100’s of children with school fees and books on the islands of Lombok, North Sulawesi and Jakarta.
It is our family’s belief that only through education and policy change, can those who are underprivileged raise themselves from poverty, and it is only when economic conditions improve will environmental conditions dramatically advance.
There is no lack of opportunity to make a significant impact in poverty reduction in Indonesia. If you use the $2 per capita per day as a poverty bench mark, then almost half of the nation is living below this level. My parents are involved in supporting orphanages in North Sulawesi, Jakarta and Lombok.
I know that they, along with other employees of Newmont, are active in many other programs and with everyone’s combined efforts have made a difference; including surgery for those in need, personal support to remote medical clinics, not forgetting to mention support for Indonesia’s share of natural disasters – from tsunami’s in Aceh to earth quakes in Central Java.
I know when the tsunami struck Aceh and the island of Nias the whole world pitched in to assist, from Governments, relief agencies, NGO’s, religious groups as well as companies and individuals from the private sector. I know dad was also willing to do his part, and he was invited along with a handful of long term experienced residents to offer suggestions and advise on recovery planning to the United Nations special council.
But what do Mom and Dad do besides work, plus meeting their religious and social obligations?
Dad is an avid reader. In the past he was my diving buddy, and he likes fishing. Both enjoy good food and like to cook, watch a good film. They both love children.
But when Dad really needs to clear his mind, he regresses to his younger days and cranks up his motor cycle and goes for a ride.
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As a reader of this blog you may like to tell us something about yourself, a colleague or friend. Please send to jennifermarohasy@jennifermarohasy.com. Contributions are filed under ‘People’. Scroll down to read about some of the other contributors to this blog. There is a note from Richard Ness here.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.