The bizarre political tale of Oxford United
The club takeover has ignited an Indonesian controversy in an unlikely location, says Dominic Brown
When Indonesian businessman Anindya Bakrie and his colleague Erick Thohir announced plans last year to acquire a majority stake in Oxford United, fans started believing that the lofty moments of success last seen in the 1980s were set to return. Bakrie is, after all, heir to a business empire worth over £11 billion.
The proposed takeover of the League One football club – which could be confirmed any day now – is the latest event in a curious and tangled Indonesian tale which has been unfolding in Oxford for some years now. It’s a tale involving local politics, an exotically dressed tribal leader from the remote highlands of West Papua, and bizarre attempts by the Indonesian government to exert influence over the university city.
Hailing from one of Indonesia’s most powerful dynasties, Bakrie sits at the helm of Bakrie & Brothers, part of the Bakrie Group conglomerate, with interests spanning plantations, infrastructure, telecoms, media and mining across the Indonesian archipelago. Bakrie’s father, the business tycoon Aburizal Bakrie, was one of Indonesia’s most wealthy individuals and ran an unsuccessful bid for the country’s presidency in 2014. The family’s business empire has not been without controversy having faced allegations of tax evasion and also of financial irregularities in relation to one of its companies, PT Bumi Resources, which were ultimately found to be unsubstantiated. The business has significant interests in the restive region of West Papua, a former Dutch colony annexed by Indonesia in 1969.
Lying on the western half of the island of New Guinea, West Papua is a resource-rich region that is home to the world’s largest gold and copper deposits. A decades-long struggle for independence has been waged by its indigenous people since a controversial UN referendum handed control of the region to Indonesia. Human rights groups estimate that as many as 500,000 people have been killed by the Indonesian military in a climate where raising the outlawed West Papua flag can result in prison sentences of up to 15 years.
Enter Benny Wenda, the aforementioned tribal leader. On December 1 each year, people walking along St Aldate’s in Oxford city centre are greeted by the sight of West Papua’s flag being raised above the town hall roof. It is intended as a symbol of solidarity from the local council for the country’s ongoing independence struggle. For the past 20 years, Oxford has been home to West Papua’s exiled independence leader, Wenda, and the headquarters of his global campaign. Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace
A decadeslong battle for freedom has been waged by the people of West Papua
Prize, Wenda’s rising profile has become an increasing source of irritation to an Indonesian regime keen to keep West Papua out of the headlines.
Wenda was granted political asylum in the UK after fleeing his homeland where he had been on trial, accused of leading a people’s movement to end Indonesian rule. He escaped from prison – climbing through a ventilation shaft in his cell and scaling prison walls, before fleeing on foot through the jungle to neighbouring Papua New Guinea. Securing a flight to London, Wenda greeted the immigration official with the only English word he could speak – asylum.
In 2011, an Interpol red notice was served against him by the Indonesian government. This was later revoked after an investigation concluded that the notice was politically motivated.
Oxford was at the centre of a diplomatic stand-off between the UK and Indonesia in 2013 after Wenda opened an office for the Free West Papua Campaign on the city’s Cowley Road. As images circulated online showing him with the city’s lord mayor at the opening, the UK ambassador to Indonesia was summoned to the foreign ministry in Jakarta to explain why the opening had been allowed.
Frustrated in its attempts to halt Wenda’s progress, a coordinated online misinformation campaign was launched involving hundreds of fake social media accounts and news websites, attempting to skew public opinions of West Papua in favour of the Indonesian government and portray Wenda as a criminal.
An investigation by Bellingcat and the BBC revealed that a Jakarta-based media agency, InsightID, and an individual with close links to the Indonesian government were behind the activity. More than $300,000 (£240,000) had been spent on Facebook ads alone.
The Cowley Road Carnival is an annual event that brings together elements of East Oxford’s diverse community. Dressing up in the traditional attire of the highland Lani tribe, Wenda and his family join the mile-long procession each year. It’s a rare moment to celebrate their identity in the city that has embraced them since becoming their home.
In 2017, carnival organisers informed Wenda that he was no longer permitted to display the West Papua flag during the procession. This coincided with the announcement of a new carnival sponsor; the Indonesian embassy in London. As part of the sponsorship deal, a special carnival zone was created to promote the country under the banner “Magnificent Indonesia”. The Indonesian embassy highlighted its presence at the carnival in social media posts promoting its message of “unity in diversity”, a nationalist slogan often used in response to the selfdetermination claims of West Papuans.
In November 2018, Oxford United announced the appointment of Thohir as a director. The news came less than two months after Thohir’s appointment by Jokowi, the Indonesian president, to lead his re-election campaign. He was subsequently appointed as minister of state-owned enterprises following Jokowi’s re-election, stepping down as a director of Oxford United at the same time, and has been involved in ongoing discussions over the prospects for gold mining in West Papua.
Five months later, Oxford United announced the appointment of Bakrie, a new Indonesian director. The 47-year-old started his career in investment banking before taking up a role as CEO of the family business. Bakrie was part of the Indonesian government’s delegation at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last November, and has previously tweeted about the “potential of West Papua’s natural and human resources”. He also expressed excitement in a blog post about the resource potential and investment opportunities that the region presents.
An article published on the website of Bakrie’s charitable arm, Bakrie Centre Foundation, suggests his support for maintaining the status quo of Indonesia’s control of West Papua, stating it is “one of the richest regions in natural resources… Indonesia cannot afford to lose Papua like it did Timor-Leste”.
Neither Bakrie nor Thohir have explained in detail the attraction of buying a lower division English football club with debts reportedly at over £17million and losing an estimated £80,000 a week. In an interview with the BBC announcing the planned takeover, Bakrie spoke at length about his role as chairman of the supervisory board at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and its attempts to “bridge the gap in understanding between Indonesia and the world”. He went on to highlight his intention to build close ties with the university and the people of Oxford. It’s a narrative that will no doubt be at odds with Wenda and his campaign for West Papua’s independence.
In 2019, Wenda was awarded the Honorary Freedom of Oxford, with the lord mayor stating the accolade recognised the contribution that Wenda was making “both locally and on the international stage”. It triggered an angry response from the Indonesian administration and its embassy in London. A statement published on the embassy’s website included a warning that the conferment of the award could “create unnecessary obstacles to our efforts in increasing Indonesia-UK cooperation, including with the City of Oxford”. The takeover of Oxford United is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, subject to Bakrie and Thohir passing the league’s “fit and proper persons” test.
As the prospect of a new chapter opens for United, following on from the controversies over the ownerships of Newcastle United and Chelsea, the takeover is yet another illustration of how football is becoming increasingly inseparable from global politics and powerful business interests.
In a statement to The Telegraph, Bakrie stated that the proposed takeover of Oxford United is “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”.