Lapindo Brantas Inc., a unit under the Bakrie family, has responded to the unprecedented ecological disaster originating from its gas well by going on a public relations charm offensive aimed at cleaning up its image.

For the most part, the company's efforts seem to have paid off. In the first month of the disaster in Sidoarjo, Lapindo was receiving most of the blame for the mudflow. Both the media and the public were accusing the company of bringing misery to thousands of people with its drilling activities. Seemingly sealing the company's fate, several of its executives were named as suspects by the police for negligence leading to the mudflow.

However, as the disaster entered its second month a different image of Lapindo was being projected, at least in the media. Now Lapindo was being painted as a responsible company that was taking care of the victims of the mudflow and providing them with compensation, all the while making every effort to stem the flow of mud.

This drastic change no doubt has much to do with the company's hiring of professional image builders and the strong political clout of its main shareholder, a company linked to the Bakrie family, including Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.

"If Lapindo had no political clout, it would have been finished in a matter of weeks because of this mudflow brouhaha," said Henry Subiyakto, a lecturer at Airlangga University in Surabaya and also head of the Surabaya Media Consumer Foundation.

Among the image specialists hired by Lapindo, or its shareholder, are several former journalists and media specialists. Henry says he was approached about joining the team responsible for improving Lapindo's image and that of the Bakrie family.

This team of professionals has made a concerted effort to polish Lapindo's image, lobbying owners of media companies in East Java and journalists covering the mudflow story, and also helping set up a media center in Sidoarjo town hall.

The media center provides daily updates about the handling of the mudflow and its victims. It must be said that the center is fairly objective, covering demonstrations by victims and their demands for compensation.

The center provides free Internet access, telephone use and printing and photocopying facilities for members of the media. Not only that, according to one source, the media center also provides a "supplemental income" for journalists.

Lapindo denied that it is financing the media center. But one source said that while the company did not finance the center directly, it channeled the money through the local government.

East Java Information and Communication Agency (Infokom) head Suwanto acknowledged the role of Lapindo in the establishment of the media center, but denied that the company provided any financial support for its operation.

"Lapindo only provides photocopy machines, paper and lunch. Everything else is financed by Infokom East Java," Suwanto told The Jakarta Post. He added that the center was established on a direct order from East Java Governor Imam Utomo.