Since its inception in 2021, MYTP has seen three cohorts, with the number of participants steadily increasing each year—from 10 individuals in 2021 to 28 and 31 individuals in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

“I am proud to be part of MYTP. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about complex mining projects from experts in their respective fields,” said Wanda Nirmala Santoso, a member of MYTP’s inaugural cohort, who now works as a Junior Mechanical Engineer for the Tujuh Bukit Copper Project in Banyuwangi, East Java.

“The challenging MYTP recruitment process was an excellent way to test my skills and knowledge,” said Anisa Fakhira Mulya, reflecting on her MYTP journey in 2022. As an MYTP Trainee, Anisa works in Operational Readiness at the Merdeka headquarters in Jakarta. “I am enthusiastic and committed to making a positive impact on this industry,” she added.

MYTP is open to participants from various mining-related study programs. Anyone with a maximum age of 25 years for bachelor’s graduates and up to 27 years for master’s degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.3, can apply. Registration for MYTP 2023 will be closed on 30 September 2023 and selected candidates will be informed via email to take the online test on 2–6 October 2023. Participant selection will occur from mid-October to December 2023. For more detailed information about MYTP, please visit this page.

“Merdeka highly regards participants that show potential to be future leaders,” said Firdausya Adhwa Tastama, part of MYTP’s second cohort, serving in Technical Services for the Tujuh Bukit Copper Project. Her advice to prospective participants: “Be yourself and practice before the exams and interviews.”

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Main photo: Anisa Fakhira Mulya, Operational Readiness PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

Artikel Merdeka Young Talent Program Reopens Its Doors pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

The management of IFRC by BSI is a form of Merdeka Group’s commitment to safety in every aspect of mining. BSI also made the IFRC event to support Banyuwangi tourism by placing the main activities in tourist areas: Pulau Merah, Boom Marina Beach, and the Banyuwangi Women’s Building to trigger economic activity. BSI also involves MSMEs and residents to support the event.

The day after IFRC, BSI sent an Emergency Response Team (ERT) and logistical assistance to Cianjur, West Java, which was hit by an earthquake two days earlier. The BSI ERT team, which is often involved in various humanitarian missions in disaster areas, joined the disaster preparedness team under the coordination of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources until early December.

Artikel PT Bumi Suksesindo Hosted the 19th Indonesian Fire and Rescue Challenge. pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

Three BKP-BTR employees scored achievements in the Innovation Award event. Thanks to the concept of increasing production by 15 percent, Oman is the best.

Operations of the Wetar Copper Mine on Friday, April 1 went as normal: those in the office were busy with administration, and those in the field were doing their respective tasks. By evening, the atmosphere changed. Abdurrahman’s name was suddenly widely discussed verbally and in WhatsApp text messages among Batutua Kharisma Permai and Batutua Tembaga Raya (BKP-BTR), the company that operates copper mining and processing on Wetar Island.

What’s wrong with Abdurrahman? The commotion arose because Merdeka Copper Gold in Jakarta, the holding company of the Wetar Copper Mine, had just announced that Abdurrahman was the first winner in the Innovation Award, a competition for innovation creation between employees to increase safety and production, as well as save costs and improve the environment.

The names of the winners were announced that day. The competition itself has been going on since October 2021. The selection is done in stages, each site or subsidiary sends five names, then by the committee at the head office these names are assessed again until 10 finalists appear.

Which one is Abdurrahman? Commonly called Oman, huh? Uh, which Oman is that? What did he do? Where is she? Can you send the photo? Questions like these are milling about.

When his name began to be mentioned, the owner himself was in one of the rooms in the Recreation Hall, a sports facility and meeting for BKP-BTR employees, for the presentation process and the jury’s assessment of the top 10 Innovation Award finalists which took place via the Zoom application. In the same room were Kiagus Zulkifli and Lutfiyah Dea Gita, two other finalists from Wetar, and Mohammad Adithya Putra—a friend who also helped Oman in compiling the competition materials.

“Yes! Alhamdulillah!”

Zulkifli exclaimed when his name appeared on the screen as the first runner-up. He received applause from others, including two BKP-BTR staff who helped facilitate the event, Rada Maruto, and Mariska Sindy Lontoh. After a while, the name ABDURRAHMAN – WETAR appeared on the screen as the first winner. Applause immediately erupted in the room. Oman who has a calm demeanor just smiles back, his lips moving to say alhamdulillah. Thanks to his victory, Oman received prize money of IDR30 million.

Naturally, Oman is not well known on the Wetar site. He has only been joining BKP-BTR for seven months, since October 2021 to be exact. This Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Indonesia is assigned to the Plant Metallurgist Section – Crushing Heapleach, Processing Department. The man from Padang admitted that he took part in the competition because he wanted to gain experience and compete to be the best in terms of improvement and efficiency. For him, the competition is also a moment to hone himself in thinking carefully, working together in a team, and practicing his ability to speak in public.

In the Innovation Award, Oman submitted the topic of Cost Efficiency to Production Wetar Copper Mine in the Crushing-Heapleach Sector. This topic is a proposed step to change the production method which experienced a decline in the previous year. “This topic has been implemented as a project and has resulted in a 15 percent increase in production,” said Oman. The project was carried out by Oman with two of his colleagues, Adhit and Kemi Kharisma, both of whom also work in the metallurgical department. They prepared a project for two months and collaborated with other related departments. “We also get guidance from the senior metallurgists here,” said Oman.

Meanwhile, Zukifli from Palembang presented his idea about financing drilling and blasting. The proposal is how to reduce funding by reducing the use of explosives and their accessories. This Bachelor of Mining Engineering from Sriwijaya University is motivated to participate in the Innovation Award because he is concerned with efforts to increase production while saving production costs. Zulkifli, who has been working in the Mine Planning – Mining Department since 2019, tested his proposal from June to September 2021 with six colleagues and under the guidance of the mining technical leaders at the Wetar Copper Mine, namely Edi Widodo and Muhamad Faizal.

Meanwhile, Lutfiyah, who is usually called Upi, joined the competition, one of which was because of the attractive prize money. The innovation proposed by Upi, who works in Processing – Operations, is how to create added value from used waste into metal commodities. This Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) got the idea from his colleague Brian Swahadana, fellow ITB alumni.

The idea arose when there was a problem related to the storage and management of waste that was categorized as hazardous and toxic (B3) and BKP-BTR did not have an adequate place to store lead waste, which included B3 in large quantities. The Upi project, which is also assisted by Brian Swahadana and Alvi Adli, also alumni of ITB, offers an effort that can eliminate the risk of environmental pollution due to B3 waste as well as eliminate the cost of procuring storage facilities or handing over management to third parties. “From the calculation simulation that we carried out starting in mid-2021, savings could be made of up to 40 percent,” said Upi, an employee from Cirebon, who is now in his fourth year at Wetar. For this project, Upi got the eighth position.

Artikel Innovation Award Winners from Wetar Copper Mine pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

Through competitions and competitions, Merdeka group employees put their skills to the test.

Employee competitions can increase the enthusiasm, creativity, and togetherness of employees at work. That is what Merdeka Copper Gold wants to trigger when holding the Merdeka Innovation Award (MIA) other than to find the latest innovations, which can be applied in the company, directly from employees who best understand their work practices. With a total prize of Rp. 100 million, MIA opens registrations from November 2021 to January 31, 2022. The innovations sought are those that can improve safety and production, save costs, and improve the environment, both new ideas and those that have been implemented. Participants can be a work team, at least two people.

“This competition provides an opportunity for Merdeka people to show their abilities, along with the progress of Merdeka,” said Boyke Abidin, Merdeka’s Chief External Affairs, who was on the jury with Albert Saputro, Merdeka’s President Director; Eric Rahardja, Chief of Commercial and Business Support Merdeka; and Raymond Hadisubrata, a management consultant representing independent parties.

Of the 45 participating teams, which came from Merdeka and its subsidiaries, 10 finalist teams were selected which were further selected into five winners: first to third place winners and two hopeful winners. The first winner came from Batutua Kharisma Permai and Batutua Tembaga Raya (BKP-BTR), employees who have only worked for six months named Abdurrahman, better known as Oman. Through the Crush Size Optimization innovation, he proposed a change in production methods that could reduce costs that had been implemented with two of his colleagues, Adhit and Kemi Kharisma, who were also working with other departments. The result? “The increase in production by 15 percent,” said Oman.

Meanwhile, Aldaka Wiguna from the Geoscience department (PSF Data Lead) of Bumi Suksesindo (BSI), the second winner in this competition, used machine learning to help analyze various geological data. That way, the analysis becomes more objective because it is truly data-based, and can be used to make various decisions, from legal, social, resource, environmental, to mining operations. Aldaka, who is usually called Aldo, considers this competition very good, “Because it provides an opportunity to appreciate employee innovation,” he said. He also believes that enthusiasm will be even higher if the number of prizes in the next competition is increased. Titis Wibowo, the second runner-up from Geoscience Business Improvement at Merdeka Mining Servis added that this is not only an event for employees to develop themselves, but also an event for advancing Merdeka together. This year, MIA will be held again, registration opens from October 2022.

Recently, Merdeka also held an essay and photo competition to commemorate Earth Day, which falls on April 22, 2022, with the theme Where I Work is My Beautiful Little Earth. “This competition is held so that employees can be more involved in environmental issues,” said Amin Radjali, manager of the HSE, Risk, and Sustainability department which organized the competition. Sitting as photography judges are Azlan Ismail, Senior Manager Risk, HSE, Sustainability; Gerick Mouton, Chief Project Development at the time; and Simon Milroy, CEO of Merdeka. While the essay judges are Boyke Abidin; Titien Supeno, Director of Human Resources; and Albert Saputro, President Director of Merdeka. The number of winners of the essay competition is the same as in the photography category: three main winners and three hopeful winners.

Indah Permatasari, administrator of the External Affairs division of BSI, who wants to practice her writing skills, is excited to join the competition. Thanks to his writing, on managing the diversity of animals that live in the forest around BSI’s mining operations, he won second place. Representing BSI, Indah is not alone. Three other colleagues from BSI also won the essay competition: Ridwan Syam (1^st Place), Sukadi (^3rd Place), and Argha Nugraha (2^nd Hope Champion)—the latter also participated in a photography competition and won first place.

The participants hope that Merdeka will continue to hold competitions. In addition to coloring the routine after work—especially for those who work daily on a site with a rooster work system—competition can hone creativity and increase collaboration between teams and departments. “The ability of employees who do not appear during work, can also be appreciated by more people,” said Indah.

Artikel Merdeka Employee Competitions pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

The Mining Apprentice Program has successfully graduated female heavy equipment operators in Wetar. Some can neither ride a motorcycle nor a car but now operate a 60-tons truck.

Working in the mines is hard, so only men can endure it. This kind of assumption is still shared by many people in general. “That opinion is wrong, the proof is that Kartini is here,” said Kartini Sandra Tilukay, an employee of Batutua Kharisma Permai and Batutua Tembaga Raya (BKP-BTR). And, the daily task of this lady from Kisar Island is not behind the desk, but operating heavy vehicles. “It feels really cool, even though the body is smaller than heavy equipment tires, I can still operate it,” said Kartini, full of enthusiasm.

Kartini is one of fifteen women operators of heavy vehicles at the BKP-BTR copper mining site on Wetar Island, Southwest Maluku. They are graduates of the Mining Apprentice Program—training to operate equipment specifically for female participants.

Dicky Murod, Senior Manager of External Affairs of BKP-BTR, revealed that the training that Kartini and other participants participated in was a form of BKP-BTR’s support for gender equality. By providing skills to operate heavy equipment to women, job opportunities in the mining world are opened for professions that were previously filled with male workers. In addition, training was also held to fill the needs of heavy equipment operators at BKP-BTR. After they graduate, the responsibilities of female operators are no different than those of male operators.

The training has started rolling since July 2021 and takes place in several batches or waves. Initially, the participants came from Lurang and Uhak, the two closest villages to the BKP-BTR location. Furthermore, participants came from other villages on Wetar Island and other islands in Southwest Maluku Regency such as Kisar Island.

Each batch lasts for 50 to 60 days, guided by a team of professional coaches. The training is carried out at an actual mining site. Kartini and her friends were trained to operate the 733 haul truck which has a payload capacity of 60 tons and the 745 articulate dump truck with a carrying capacity of 45 tons.

Kartini admitted that she was amazed by her current abilities. Until now, he could not ride a motorcycle but instead could carry a big truck in the mines. “I used to only see mining units on television,” said Kartini, a Bachelor of Computer Science from STIKOM Ambon.

Kaindah feels the future path of her life is open. According to him, the skill and experience of operating a heavy vehicle are extraordinary assets. “When I finish from here, I can work in mining in other places, I will be rich in experience by looking at other areas in Indonesia,” he said.

Kaindah said that the doctor, Gian Alodia Risamasu, who was his supervisor at the Lurang Health Center, was a person who had contributed to him. “Doctor Gian encouraged me to join the training here, he said so that I could have insight and experience that was much broader than the size of my village,” said Kaindah.

Novita Leladara also had a similar experience. This mother of one child is from Ilputih Village in Wetar. “Working in the mine is fun, I enjoy it,” said Novita, whose husband also works at BKP-BTR.

How about salary? “Good,” the three of them said in unison with a smile. Kaindah admits that her income as an operator doubles from the administrative staff at the Puskesmas.

Head coach Phillips Benny stated that there are many advantages when heavy vehicles are operated by women. “Women are consistent and stable, different from men who have a sense of humor,” he said. For example, if a female operator gets a task of ten trips, the female operator can fulfill it at the right time with the same time interval between trips, while the male operator does not keep the speed so that sometimes it is slow and does not reach the target.

In addition, added Benny, the level of damage to heavy vehicles has decreased. “Because the way women treat and control it is different,” said Benny. The female operator did not encounter any difficulties operating the truck because the method was similar to running an automatic car. “The important thing applied to the operator is discipline and compliance before, during, and after operating,” said Benny.

As told by Kartini: before starting work, she is obliged to make sure all parts of the vehicle are in good condition, while operating always obey the supervisor who gives directions and is full of caution, and after being assigned to make sure the vehicle is in good condition.

After Kartini, Kaindah, and Novita, there will be more female operators at BKP-BTR because training activities are still ongoing. They will be on duty day and night according to a predetermined schedule.

Artikel Can’t Ride a Motorcycle? That’s Not a Requirement to be an Operator pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

The Pani Gold Project stepped on the gas earlier this year. This project will grow other industries in Pohuwato and provide many job opportunities for local residents. 

Dozens of young people in black and white uniforms lined the courtyard. In front of them stood a man in a blue and yellow uniform giving directions, occasionally loudly calling names or asking them to do something. Not far from them, a number of personnel in blue and yellow uniforms were seen going in and out of the office. Some seemed to be in such a hurry that they got into double-cabin cars and left the office.

This scene is commonly seen at the representative office of Puncak Emas Tani Sejahtera (PETS) in Marisa, the capital of Pohuwato Regency, in recent days. This scene was different from the previous months when the office looked quiet, the courtyard deserted, while the iron fence measuring two by four meters was mostly closed.

Those days PETS needed about 150 new employees whose recruitment would prioritize local residents. The reason is the good news that recently gave new breath to the Pani Gold Project.

PETS is a company formed by Merdeka Copper Gold with KUD Dharma Tani (whose members were originally traditional miners) to work on the Pani Besar Project in Hulawa Village, Buntulia District, Pohuwato Regency, Gorontalo Province. The project site is about 29 km from Marisa, and a four-hour road trip from Gorontalo City, the capital city of Gorontalo Province. PETS is the holder of a Production Operation Mining Business Permit (IUP) in accordance with Gorontalo Governor Decree Number 351/17/IX/2015.

Even though they had been standing for a while, PETS couldn’t move quickly because there were serious obstacles. At the location side by side, there is the Pani Project Contract of Work (KK Pani) owned by Gorontalo Sejahtera Mining (GSM) whose shares are owned, among others, by J Resources Nusantara (JRN), a subsidiary of J Resources Asia Pacific (PSAB).

Initially, there was an agreement between PETS and GSM in the cultivation of Pani IUP and Pani KK in the bordering area for mutual benefit. Exploration of gold deposits in the GSM area has been carried out since 2011 and ended in 2018. Meanwhile, in the PETS area, exploration drilling was carried out in 2012 and 2013. For the border area between the GSM and PETS deposit areas, there has been no drilling at all. However, Merdeka believes that rock mineralization continues in the intermediate area. In other words, there was a sizeable gold reserve there. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the PETS and GSM deals are way in place.

After going through a series of attempts to reach an agreement, the situation changed. At the end of 2021, PSAB sold all shares owned by its subsidiary, JRN, in GSM to Andalan Bersama Investama (ABI). The total transaction value is IDR 2.13 trillion, equivalent to 150 million US dollars. This sale is important because Merdeka has invested US$ 80.16 million for a 50.1% stake in ABI in the near future.

With the investment in ABI, Merdeka will acquire a majority stake in the Pani Gold Project through a 66.7% stake in Pani Bersama Jaya (PBJ) and 50.1% in GSM. PBJ is the parent of PETS and Pani Bersama Tambang (PBT).

Subsequently, the Pani IUP and Pani KK will be merged into the Pani Gold Project. The potential overall resource reserves for the Pani Gold Project will be greater than the potential reserves if the project were developed separately. The merger of the two projects is expected to optimize the development of the combined resource, which will provide significant economic benefits with ore being processed through one larger process plant.

“The merger of the Pani IUP and Pani KK into a larger Pani Gold Project will allow Merdeka to optimally utilize the resources of Mount Pani,” said Albert Saputro, President Director of Merdeka. According to Albert, currently the only mineral resource content in Pani is gold. If there is copper and other mineral content, it is secondary. “Pani is going to be huge,” continued Albert. “The Pani Gold Project is expected to produce 250,000 ounces of gold per year for 15 years.” In other words, this project will be the largest primary gold mine in Asia Pacific. That’s why the Pani Gold Project is very meaningful to encourage the growth and sustainability of Merdeka.

Simon Milroy, Vice President Director and CEO of Merdeka, expressed similar optimism. “With the Pani Gold Project under the control of Merdeka, we plan to accelerate the development of the project. This project will be a long-lived and low-cost gold mine,” said Milroy. He did not hide his admiration when he saw firsthand all the facilities that exceeded his expectations at the Pani Base Camp and Pioneer Camp at the GSM site and Baganite Camp at the site. He also took the time to inspect the area for mining support facilities, such as the ore processing plant, and the Bubulan Port in Paguat District, which will become an alternative logistics and material delivery point for companies other than Gorontalo City Port. “I will try to visit often so that I can follow the stages of project development, from inception to operation in the future,” said Milroy.

While visiting Pani on different occasions, Albert Saputro had the opportunity to explain Merdeka’s business and its prospects to the employees there. According to him, Pani will operate for a long time, from 20 to 30 years. Therefore, he invites all involved in the project to guard it so that it can be a blessing for all stakeholders, not only shareholders. He said that currently there are still some legal and administrative matters related to the acquisition of ABI and GSM. After that, there will be a cooperation agreement between GSM and PBJ because after all they are separate entities. “There are many clauses that need to be mutually agreed so that the business going forward can run smoothly,” said Albert.

Second, re-drilling with a closer distance for the PETS deposit area because the previous drilling was still considered inadequate and was carried out about 10 years ago; This step is also expected to increase the certainty of the number of reserves and most likely also about the increase in the number of reserves. “We will do our best to get the data as accurate as possible, and plan as carefully and comprehensively as possible,” said Albert.

Third, prepare a report on the estimation of mineral resources based on the results of exploration drilling in the border area and the PETS IUP.

Fourth, start preparations to carry out the mining process from the GSM deposit area, which already exists in very adequate numbers for exploration drilling and various studies (metallurgy, geotechnical, hydrology, environment, mining methods, etc.), as well as a detailed and complete feasibility study on 2013 and 2019. It is true that some further studies and permit adjustments are needed before construction activities can be carried out and the Pani Gold Project can start operating in 2025.

Fifth, in line with the results of further exploration in the mining expansion area to the deposit area at the border and PETS.

From an economic perspective, BSI’s contribution to taxes in Banyuwangi is very large, reaching more than 60 percent. In Tujuh Bukit, more than 34.9 hectares of land have been reclaimed which has been mined. In Banyuwangi, safe methods with high standards are also carried out to extract precious metals that do not leave process waste.

“We protect the environment and support the economic, social, and cultural progress of the communities in every area of ​​our operations. That is also what Merdeka will do at the Pani Gold Project. If the Pani gold mine starts operating, Pohuwato’s revenue will increase significantly, and the economy will grow even faster,” said Albert.

The initial activity of the Pani Gold Project which will soon be carried out is drilling to obtain data on additional ore reserves. No less than 200 points will be drilled in 2022. The Gold Pani Project has planned to recruit around 250 new employees, bringing the total number of people working there to 300. Of this number, it is expected that the majority will come from residents.

Merdeka is also committed to educating the best sons and daughters of Gorontalo so that in the future they can occupy technical positions which at the beginning of the activity were still held by workers from other regions.

Regarding employment, the Director of HR Merdeka Titien Supeno emphasized the importance of employees who are currently working or who will be recruited later to apply GREATNESS values ​​into their daily behavior. “Growth can only be achieved if we respect each other, work responsibly, create superior results, put safety above all else,” he said. Titien also invites all employees to make their work a masterpiece, not just a craft.

With the increase in company activity, the need for goods and services in the local market will also increase. The significant increase in spending will increase the velocity of money which in turn will boost the multiplier effect of the company’s existence. The existence of the Pani Gold Project will grow other industries in the Pohuwato area. The growth of these industries will of course provide opportunities for the absorption of new workers.

Artikel Pani Gold Project Starts to Shine pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.

Merdeka has established Greatness as the company’s core value. These values ​​will guide Merdeka to become a leading company.

The forest behind the MIA (Mine Infrastructure Area) office was still shrouded in a thinning mist while the sun was shyly radiating its heat at six o’clock that morning. A group of employees stood in a circle in the workshop area for a toolbox meeting led by Yakub Pangihutan, Supervisor of the Maintenance Department.

There is something different about the toolbox meeting over the past month. Previously, the meeting material only focused on work safety. That morning, Jacob repeated some of the values ​​to his team. He said the material he delivered was the company’s core values.

Merdeka Group has proclaimed the company’s core values: Greatness (Growth, Respect, Accountability, Excellence, and Safety). The company believes that growth only be achieved by respecting each other, working responsibly, achieving superior results, and all of this is done by prioritizing safety. Merdeka began socializing its core values ​​on December 26, 2020, through an online town hall.

Then, on January 21, 2021, Merdeka sent a video summary of the company’s vision, mission, and values ​​via e-mail and uploaded it on the company’s intranet network. “We hope that this initial socialization program will familiarize us with the Vision, Mission, and Core Values ​​of the Company, and together make Greatness as a guide in activities outside and within the company,” said Deni Indra Kelana from HRD MCG, who is intensely involved in designing values.

A company, institution, and individuals always need or live the values ​​that guide their actions. Based on those values, priorities are set and decisions are made. The measure of success inevitably depends on what kind of values ​​are held.

Freedom requires values ​​that are clearly stated because they are the principles that unite, and govern how everything works and interacts—including in society. In other words, core values ​​will guide all Merdeka people to behave and act professionally. As a relatively young company, but with many major activities—starting from operating a mine to going public—it’s time for Merdeka to have a firmer identity. Employees come from many workplaces carrying different cultures. Without shared core values, “collisions” can happen even if everyone has good intentions.

Merdeka has been designing Greatness since 2019. Previously, Merdeka used a vision (a global leader in the Indonesian mining and metals industry) and a mission (to be the developer partner of choice in the mining and metals industry; to be at the forefront of safety, environmental conservation, and CSR; to produce superior value and returns for investors through prudent investment and effective project development; as well as being at the forefront of efficiency and innovation) which was established in 2012 at the same time as its establishment. Vision is the dream or goal of a company, the mission is the way to achieve it, while values ​​that build culture are the main supporters of the vision and mission.

Greatness values ​​are a more thorough dig of the vision and mission. The consideration is that currently there are more operations and more employees, so some things need to be stated more firmly.

Safety is the most easily understood value because this one is obligatory. Overall, the Merdeka Group has operated without LTI (Lost Time Injury) throughout 2019 and recorded a safety record of up to 20 million hours. Unfortunately, this score failed to be maintained in 2020 due to a minor accident. However, for a new mining company, Merdeka’s record is impressive enough that it can be said that safety is inherent in all personnel.

“Safety is everything at work. Everything will be in vain if we don’t work with safety,” said Jeffry Mounty, which was confirmed by his colleague Ilyas Musa. Both are local sons who joined the Pani Project in 2019 when the drilling project started. Feni Imasari, one of the admins in the BSI Maintenance Department, also feels a high concern for safety. He mentioned that various tools at PT BSI such as Golden Rules, JSEA, OK-KAN, TAHAN, Takon-7, and employee compliance played a major role in achieving a good record of 20 million workers without accidents.

What about the other values? In 2020, Merdeka’s growth is quite healthy despite the incident of the leaching operation at PT BSI and the not yet optimal operation of Wetar. So, in the future, what kind of growth does Merdeka want: Is it enough just to be a little better than yesterday or more than that? Of course, Merdeka expects serious growth – this is shown, among other things, by expanding the business and holding a series of training for employees so that they can grow even more.

A person who develops will eventually become a superior person who presents and is always determined to be the best. Samuel Lumele, a medical officer at Pani who is from Toraja, stated that employees must always work smart. “Employees must continuously improve their knowledge and knowledge, must have more abilities,” said Samuel.

Accountability can be seen, among others, in how Merdeka has run its business so far. There are clear guidelines that prohibit fraudulent practices—and these apply to partners and stakeholders as well.

Respect is something that grows organically; a person can be respected by others if he deserves it and he shows respect for others. According to James Oral Tombokan, who comes from Bolaang Mongondow and joined Pani in early 2020 as an assistant geologist, mutual respect for fellow employees is a must. “Without it, teamwork will not work,” said James.

Merdeka’s respect for stakeholders has been very visible during the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year. Respect, in this case respect for humanity, is what encourages Merdeka to distribute aid in various regions and play an active role in preventing the spread of a dangerous virus.

The values contained in Greatness are not too foreign to Merdeka employees. Campaigns about these values ​​have been carried out through various channels as already mentioned—even including the installation of banners at the main gate of each site. Feni from PT BSI, for example, knows Greatness from reading the booklet; while Lucky Wardhani, Enviro Department staff at PT BSI, found out through video. Nonetheless, the two of them, and many other employees hoped for further socialization.

That hope is reasonable. Employees who have a better understanding of company goals will work harder to achieve them. They become more aware of what is expected of them. And, engaged employees are a company’s most valuable asset.

Merdeka understands that making values ​​into a culture that is lived is not a day or two jobs. To make it happen, there needs to be a role model in every line—and those who occupy important positions in management must walk the talk or set an example.

Merdeka is also very aware that values ​​can develop according to the demands of the times. Ideally, a company’s core values ​​come from two directions: top-down and bottom-up. But, for now, Greatness is a solid formulation that answers Merdeka’s need to become a leading company.

Artikel Merdeka’s Values as Identity pertama kali tampil pada PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk.