A Typical Example of "The Unethical Of Truthful Intention"

---

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Principle 2: The Ethics of Truthful Intention

The ethics of truthful intention is the ethics of nonmanipulation, of the absence of conflict of interest, of the absence of the game of appearances and self-deception. The principle here is that all deliberations about sustainable development must be based on the intention to assure the best for everything and for everyone on the planet, in a manner that is fair and egalitarian, as transparent as possible, and always based on the real intention to make whatever is necessary happen (to effectively fulfill what is agreed to).

Therefore, no deliberation about sustainable development should take place in an environment of pressure (from lobbyists or special interest groups) that leads to problems of conflict of interest and that diverts decision-making processes from the noble and universal purposes inherent to the very concept of sustainability itself.

The premise here is that, in general, we live in an environment of self-deception and the inversion of values, in which we have come to accept as “normal” the game of promises we know will not be fulfilled, of backroom agreements, of hidden agendas behind apparently well-intentioned proposals, etc., all of which affect the sustainability of our evolution. Obviously, in no way is any of this ethical. Even less ethical is to close one’s eyes to this reality and to do nothing about it, turning this game of illusions into a permanent phenomenon.

The premise here is that this entire arrangement is reversible and that this turnaround is absolutely necessary in order to assure that sustainable development becomes an effective reality.

---

Typical example of "THE UNETHICAL OF TRUTHFUL INTENTION"

Aluminium smelting plant will make Sarawak more industrialised
Posted By Web Master On 8th August 2007 @ 10:00 In Local

KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is confident that the development of an aluminium smelting plant in Similajau, Bintulu will enable Sarawak to realise its aim of becoming more industrialised.

METAL FUTURE: Taib witnesses the exchange of documents between Sandeep (left) and Curtis.
Also seen from left are Williams, Groeneveld and Syed Anwar.
Photo by Johnathan Bullet.

Speaking yesterday at the signing of a ‘Heads of Agreement’ between Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMS) and Rio Tinto Aluminium for a detailed feasibility study on the proposed project, Taib saw the plant as a vital part of the regional corridor of development in the State’s central region. (Read this Articles, click here)

The project is expected to create some 5,000 job opportunities.

Taib expressed a belief that the partnership between the two companies would drive Sarawak’s manpower development to a level of greater sophistication and he assured them that he would give his best support to the project.

“I want to thank Rio Tinto for looking at Similajau as one of the best sites to meet the aluminium demand in the whole of South East Asia. Rio Tinto has the best technology around which we hope to be able to share through CMS,” he said.

In line with CMS’ approaches, he said, Rio Tinto was a very responsible company and its projects included the development of the communities that was working for it and the countries in which they were cited.

He revealed that Second Planning and resource Management Minister Dato Sri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan had visited Rio Tinto’s facilities in Queensland, Australia, and the latter had confirmed the company’s social responsibility. (Read this Articles, click here)

---

RIO TINTO’S ABYSMAL RECORD

While we can conclude that Alcan itself heavily supplies the arms industry and is invading Africa as it invades Iceland, it is now part of Rio Tinto, the world's largest private mining company, “long criticized for gross human rights violations dating back to its support of apartheid in Southern Africa.”

We will name some of the many cases. Rio Tinto has been known to subject it’s own workers to poisoning in mines, having security guards shooting locals on the spot looking for small amounts of gold in one of it’s mines and having union-members spied upon or fired in its Brazilian gold mines.

Rio Tinto has been involved with mercenary scandals. The Papua New Guinean (PNG) Government, in joint venture with Rio Tinto, hired private mercenary companies Sandline International, a London-based private military company, composed primarily of former British and South African special forces soldiers, which had been involved in the civil wars in Angola and Sierra Leone and were now paid to fight the population of Bougainville, an island near PNG. The mine had been closed by the people of the island because of the disastrous ecological effects .Citizens of Bougainville have filed a class action lawsuit in the United States against Rio Tinto arising from the environmental damage caused by the mine and war crimes occurring during the civil war years. In August 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Rio Tinto's effort to dismiss the claim.

---

Similarly, Taib was happy that Rio Tinto has already committed itself to the development of skilled and professional workers even before the project starts in Similajau.

The company aims to build a world class technical skills base here to train Sarawakians. Taib in response said that the government has set aside a large tract of land in Mukah for the construction of technical colleges.

On CMS, Taib said the company knows Sarawak well and it has diversified its activities but CMS motivation was not only in profits. He pointed out that when the company established Sarawak’s first stock exchange, it had trained its own remisers.

Besides that, he said CMS had also contributed towards education in Sarawak by investing about RM25 million in a modern pre-school and primary school.

“Of course CMS must make profit like many other companies and it is time to do so.

“In spite of the rather dull performance of the stock exchange after the financial crisis in 1997-1998, CMS has been able to weather the storm and it is now looking forward to other areas of activities which it thinks it can adopt as its contribution towards Sarawak’s development,” he said.

Then tongue-in-cheek, he said that he should not talk too much about CMS because people would accuse him of too much favouritism.

“But believe me, I never interfered in CMS’ company affairs nor have I sat in CMS meetings at all. I think everybody can testify to that but I will give credit where credit is due to encourage any companies in the State,” he said.

The signatories of the agreement were CMS Group managing director Datuk Richard Curtis and deputy Group managing director Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree, and for Rio Tinto, its managing director Sandeep Biswas and general manager Smelter Project Development, Matt Liddy.

Following the signing of the agreement, a new joint venture company was formed, Sarawak Aluminium Company. Rio Tinto holds 60 per cent stake in the project and 40 per cent is held by CMS.

Also present at the function were deputy chief ministers Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan and Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Penny Williams, CMS Group chairman Tan Sri Syed Anwar Jamalullail, and Rio Tinto Aluminium chief executive Oscar Groeneveld.

More stories on Bakun Project, click here

---

Article printed from The Borneo Post Online: http://www.theborneopost.com/
URL to article: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=23023