General Politics and OUFC - Cause for concerns?

Have a read of this.

West Papua: Forgotten War, Unwanted People

Nowhere in the modern world has an armed liberation struggle persisted for so long - nearly 30 years - and with such secrecy, as the West Papuan war of resistance against the military government of Indonesia.
www.culturalsurvival.org www.culturalsurvival.org
 
I thought Bakrie's quote at the end of the article was quite telling. No denial that the takeover wasn't linked to attempts to quash West Papua's independence movement.

To be honest, the more I read the more concerned I'm feeling. Bakrie's social media is full of photos of him in meetings with the Indonesian government, and a quick Google search shows his business has been riddled with allegations of corruption, bribery and financial mismanagement.

Can't help but feel if we push on then it's going to be a similar outcome to Notts County after that takeover a few years back.

If something seems too be good to be true, it normally is.
 
WitneyU said:
I thought Bakrie's quote at the end of the article was quite telling. No denial that the takeover wasn't linked to attempts to quash West Papua's independence movement.

To be honest, the more I read the more concerned I'm feeling. Bakrie's social media is full of photos of him in meetings with the Indonesian government, and a quick Google search shows his business has been riddled with allegations of corruption, bribery and financial mismanagement.

Can't help but feel if we push on then it's going to be a similar outcome to Notts County after that takeover a few years back.

If something seems too be good to be true, it normally is.
Click to expand...

Hello Mr Negative.
 
WitneyU said:
I thought Bakrie's quote at the end of the article was quite telling. No denial that the takeover wasn't linked to attempts to quash West Papua's independence movement.
Click to expand...
Why would it; the BBC interview was in November 2021 and very few were aware of the West Papua link at that time
 
WitneyU said:
I thought Bakrie's quote at the end of the article was quite telling. No denial that the takeover wasn't linked to attempts to quash West Papua's independence movement.

To be honest, the more I read the more concerned I'm feeling. Bakrie's social media is full of photos of him in meetings with the Indonesian government, and a quick Google search shows his business has been riddled with allegations of corruption, bribery and financial mismanagement.

Can't help but feel if we push on then it's going to be a similar outcome to Notts County after that takeover a few years back.

If something seems too be good to be true, it normally is.
Click to expand...

Another ‘new member’
 
WitneyU said:
I thought Bakrie's quote at the end of the article was quite telling. No denial that the takeover wasn't linked to attempts to quash West Papua's independence movement.

To be honest, the more I read the more concerned I'm feeling. Bakrie's social media is full of photos of him in meetings with the Indonesian government, and a quick Google search shows his business has been riddled with allegations of corruption, bribery and financial mismanagement.

Can't help but feel if we push on then it's going to be a similar outcome to Notts County after that takeover a few years back.

If something seems too be good to be true, it normally is.
Click to expand...
Wow.
 
Oxymoron said:
Why would it; the BBC interview was in November 2021 and very few were aware of the West Papua link at that time
Click to expand...

it was his quote to the Telegraph I was referring to:

“an exciting and unique opportunity to progress from League One to the Championship while at the same time investing in strong corporate governance, responsible community development and sustainable environmental preservation in Oxford”.

Surprised people take what he says at face value. I thought the last part of that quote was tongue in cheek, considering Bakrie's firm was involved in the world's largest mud disaster that displaced 50,000 people. See here. Spend 30 mins researching him and his family on Google and you'll be shocked what you discover.
 
WitneyU said:
it was his quote to the Telegraph I was referring to:

“an exciting and unique opportunity to progress from League One to the Championship while at the same time investing in strong corporate governance, responsible community development and sustainable environmental preservation in Oxford”.

Surprised people take what he says at face value. I thought the last part of that quote was tongue in cheek, considering Bakrie's firm was involved in the world's largest mud disaster that displaced 50,000 people. See here. Spend 30 mins researching him and his family on Google and you'll be shocked what you discover.
Click to expand...
Where have you been all this time ?
 
My thoughts on it:

It's clear from the author's website and historical work on this matter that he's firmly on the side of West Papua so his objectivity has to be called into question. The peice is an editorial. He appears to have a dislike of Indonesian's so when prominent Indonesian's crop up he's unfairly linked them and, by inference, OUFC to oppression.

Where's the evidence that Bakrie, his family or connected businesses were involved in persecuting or suppressing people in West Papua? Indeed, where does it alledge in that peice Bakrie and Thohir have been oppressive towards the West Papuan people? It doesn't, we've jumped to conclusions on here. If the Indonesian state wanted to 'sports wash' I'm sure they wouldn't choose a League 1 team!!

How would two prominent Indonesian's owning a league 1 club thousands of miles away stop an independence movement?

The Consortium isn't just Indonesian by the way, there are Germans, Brits, Thai's and others involved. Only one of OUFC’s directors are Indonesian.

The 'takeover' has completed as evidenced by the change of shareholders on Companies House a good couple of months ago, so the fit and proper person's test point is a moot one. Not publicly announced or confirmed as to not let other clubs know OUFC is now well backed financially.

Odd, even suspicious, timing of this article considering the takeover was announced in national media on the 19th March 2021.

I'm sure Bakrie's lawyers will be looking at this article closely tomorrow morning.
 
Last edited:
Tomox said:
Surely it's worth pointing out that the consortium is made up of many nationalities across Asia. It's not just Bakrie/Indonesia.
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Well the two main players at the moment are Bakrie - who was appointed as the chairman of the Indonesian Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) by the Indonesian presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo - and Thohir, who is currently the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, which means he's a member of the Indonesian government's cabinet. They aren't just people with Indonesian backgrounds, they're an active part of the Indonesian state.
 
battman said:
Well the two main players at the moment are Bakrie - who was appointed as the chairman of the Indonesian Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) by the Indonesian presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo - and Thohir, who is currently the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, which means he's a member of the Indonesian government's cabinet. They aren't just people with Indonesian backgrounds, they're an active part of the Indonesian state.
Click to expand...
You seem to have nailed your colours to the West Papuan mast, battman.

Question, were you aware of this situation before today’s events? If so, given that it’s been clear to everyone that AB and TH are linked to the government in Indonesia, why haven’t you been vocal on the subject?

If you were not, why, on the basis of such a flimsy, one-eyed editorial, are you so quick to damn the people that are funding your football club?
 
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