For millions of Indonesians, mudik and the return flow are more than\nan annual tradition. They are a tangible proof of our identity as an\narchipelagic nation.<\/p>\n
Hitherto, the narrative of Lebaran mobility has been trapped in a\n\u201cJava-centric\u201d bias. The benchmark for transport success seems measured\nsolely by how smoothly vehicles travel on the Trans-Java toll road\nasphalt. Yet, for coastal communities, Sulawesi, and eastern Indonesia\nregions, the reality is far harsher: their lifeline lies in the midst of\nthe ocean.<\/p>\n
Now, in the return flow phase of Lebaran, the real \u201cbattle\u201d is\nunderway again. Just look at Soekarno-Hatta Port in Makassar or Tanjung\nPerak in Surabaya. Tens of thousands of people spill over, jostling to\nboard the hulls of national shipping vessels to return to their lands of\nopportunity.<\/p>\n
For archipelagic communities, a single economy-class ship ticket is a\nlifeline. It does not matter if it must be paid for with sleeping on\ntarpaulin mats on the cramped deck, drenched in sweat.<\/p>\n
The question is: why do ships suddenly get swarmed by passengers to\nthe point of overflowing every year?<\/p>\n
The answer is very pragmatic. Economy-class airfares have become\nunreasonable. Middle- to lower-class people are gradually \u201cdriven out\u201d\nfrom air routes. In eastern regions like Papua, empty Pelni ship\nschedules often hold residents hostage for days. They are forced to take\nto the sea due to a lack of options.<\/p>\n
This skyrocketing of airfares is inseparable from the domino effect\nof geopolitics. Tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran\nhave triggered a surge in crude oil prices that spills over to avtur\n(aviation fuel) costs. On the other hand, civilian shipping operators\nare also strangled by the high cost of ship fuel. Adding extra fleets to\nease congestion becomes a financially impossible step. As a result,\nexisting ships are allowed to operate beyond normal capacity\n(overcapacity).<\/p>\n
The situation in our civil transport is so dire that the state has to\ntake an ironic tactical measure: deploying military fleets.<\/p>\n
We certainly must tip our hats to the deployment of KRI Banda\nAceh-593 to transport thousands of returnees across Jakarta, Semarang,\nand Surabaya. Likewise, in the Sulawesi archipelago region, KRI\nMarlin-877 steps in to ferry hundreds of residents from Makassar to the\nSelayar Islands. The mobilisation of Navy assets is a tangible\nmanifestation of the state\u2019s presence amid the crisis.<\/p>\n
However, from the perspective of public policy and defence, this\nphenomenon is a danger signal (distress signal). It is a great irony\nwhen the threat of global war escalation looms before our eyes, our\nstrategic defence assets are repurposed into makeshift ferries due to\nthe mismanagement of national civilian shipping governance.<\/p>\n
The absence of civilian fleet resilience feels even more logical\u2014and\nworrying\u2014if we dissect the current government\u2019s policy direction. On\nvarious occasions, President Prabowo\u2019s maritime vision appears to have a\nblind spot.<\/p>\n
The government is so enthusiastic about strengthening the blue\neconomy, improving fishermen\u2019s welfare through integrated\ninfrastructure, and enforcing maritime sovereignty. Yet, the blueprint\nto save and modernise the commercial civilian shipping transport\nindustry slips off the radar. The narrative of a maritime nation seems\nto forget one most basic thing: the feasibility of sea transport for its\nown people.<\/p>\n
Beyond macro policy issues, there are two silent threats lurking\nbehind the crowded decks of returnee ships. First, the ecological\nthreat. Ships operating overcapacity for days cause the domestic waste\nsystem to collapse. Plastic waste and liquid waste dumped into the open\nsea threaten coastal ecosystems. These pollutants can damage fish\nhabitats, coral reef ecosystems, and affect the existence of Indonesia\u2019s\nunique marine fauna such as filter feeders like Porifera (sea sponges),\nwhich are highly sensitive to water quality.<\/p>\n
Second, the human error threat. Extreme fatigue surely plagues ship\ncrews and harbour masters because voyage frequencies are maximised to\nclear queues. This unrelenting operational pressure opens fatal gaps for\nnavigational negligence. Here, education and standardisation of maritime\nvocational human resources are truly tested. We need technical personnel\nwho are not only skilled on paper but possess crisis management\nresilience in the field.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Lebaran transport chaos must serve as a harsh wake-up\ncall. Transport infrastructure development must no longer be measured by\nthe length of toll road asphalt.<\/p>\n
Archipelagic communities deserve safe, independent, and affordable\ncivilian sea transport without having to continually hitch rides on\nwarships every Lebaran season. The nusantara seas must return to being\nbridges of civilisation, not arenas of despair that risk lives and\ndamage ecosystems.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/challenges-of-the-archipelagic-return-flow-1774590675", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }