September 6, 2025 | 07:55 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The punk band Sukatani has revealed the reasons behind the cancellation of their scheduled performance at the Pestapora 2025 music festival today, September 6, 2025.
According to Sukatani's guitarist, Muhammad Syifa, the involvement of PT Freeport Indonesia as a sponsor was the reason for their withdrawal from the three-day festival. "Yes, we canceled because of Freeport's involvement," Syifa told Tempo on Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Syifa stated that the band was initially unaware of PT Freeport Indonesia's sponsorship. However, after learning about the company’s involvement, Sukatani promptly decided to withdraw from the event.
The cancellation was also announced on their official Instagram account, @sukataniband, in the early hours of Saturday, September 6, 2025, just a few hours before their scheduled performance.
"We have decided not to perform at Pestapora 2025. See you on another occasion. Thank you," Sukatani wrote on Instagram, alongside a post announcing the cancellation of their set.
Syifa explained that the band views the mining company as an extractive entity that damages nature, ecosystems, culture, and local communities in Papua. "There are also many human rights violations committed by Freeport," he said.
Sukatani is a band well-known for its social criticism. One of their songs, "Bayar Bayar Bayar" (Pay Pay Pay), had previously led to the band experiencing intimidation from authorities in July 2024. This incident, in which two band members who typically wore masks appeared without them and issued a public apology to the police, caused a stir in February. The band from Purbalingga received widespread support from many, including numerous musicians.
Mixed Reactions from Other Musicians
In a similar vein, the punk rock band from Yogyakarta, Rebellion Rose, announced that they would also cancel their performance in Pestapora. However, they ultimately decided to take the stage out of respect for the audience who had already purchased tickets.
"We will still take the stage to respect our friends who have come to our arena. On stage, we will share stories and deliver an oration that cultivates awareness together about the stance we have taken," wrote Rebellion Rose on their Instagram account, @rebellionrose_official, on the same day as Sukatani.
Meanwhile, some artists chose a different approach in responding to the controversy. Musician and rapper Yacko confirmed that she would still perform but pledged to donate 100 percent of her fee from Pestapora to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI).
"Human rights and environmental issues in Papua are also women's issues," Yacko wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday. "Allow me to continue to use my platform to speak at the Hip Hop Stage today. 100 percent of the fee I received has been donated to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI)."
The Panturas also committed to donating all proceeds from their souvenir sales at PestaPora to WALHI.
Pestapora Terminates Partnership with Freeport
Meanwhile, the Pestapora 2025 committee announced the termination of their partnership with PT Freeport Indonesia on September 6, 2025. Through their Instagram post, @pestapora, the festival organizers confirmed that they were no longer bound by any cooperation agreement with PT Freeport Indonesia.
"Pestapora ensures that for the event on the second day, September 6, 2025, and the third day, September 7, 2025, we are no longer bound and affiliated with PT Freeport Indonesia," the PestaPora account stated in the early hours of Saturday.
Director of the PestaPora Festival, Kiki Aulia Ucup, also issued an apology for the numerous artists who chose to withdraw from the event due to the controversy surrounding the sponsorship with PT Freeport Indonesia. "We guarantee that we have not received a single cent of funds from PT Freeport Indonesia," he said in a statement on Instagram.
Tempo has reached out to the Vice President of Corporate Communications of PT Freeport Indonesia, Katri Krisnati. However, PT Freeport declined to provide a statement regarding the cancellations.
Bagus Pribadi and Antara contributed to the report
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