Djamin's simple life, green dreams<\/p>\n
Bambang Bider, Contributor, Pontianak, West Kalimantan<\/p>\n
He is exclusive, not because he shuns interviews, but because it
\nsimply is not very easy to find him with free time. One must be
\nprepared to spend four hours sitting on an old fiber boat
\ncruising slowly along the Seluas river in Bengkayang regency in
\nWest Kalimantan to spend time with him.<\/p>\n
An official at the Seluas District office warned that, "Even
\nif you get there, you may not be able to see him at home."<\/p>\n
He was right. When The Jakarta Post arrived at his house in
\nTadan village, Pak Djamin was out. His eldest child said he was
\nstaying in a ladang, a plot of land for unirrigated farming. So,
\nour longboat began another trip up the Biang River to see him.<\/p>\n
Thousands of belian or ironwood trees (Eusderoxylon Zwageri T.
\n& B) lined the right bank of the river. They were planted on Pak
\nDjamin's initiative.<\/p>\n
For Djamin this has not been the case, though. Born 63 years
\nago in Darit, Landak regency, Djamin chose to plant the trees.<\/p>\n
He began to plant ironwood trees back in 1993. He went out in
\nsearch of the seeds and then he planted them on his land along
\nthe banks of the Biang River.<\/p>\n
His sons, Kaling and Inson, have now planted some 2,400
\nironwood trees. Some of the trees are now 12 meters high with
\ndiameters of between 7 centimeters (cm) and 20 cm. These trees
\nare planted between tengkawang (Shorea spp) trees. Djamin said
\nthat he had planted, in total, some 5,000 belian trees.<\/p>\n
Pak Djamin became interested in cultivating them after a visit
\nto a number of places in East Java, where he saw only acacia and
\nteak trees but no ironwood trees.<\/p>\n
In its original habitat in Kalimantan, ironwood are facing
\nextinction. "People chop them down, but have never thought of
\nreplanting," he told The Post while sitting in his modest hut.<\/p>\n
Returning from his visit to East Java, Djamin, a father of
\nten, decided to plant ironwood systematically on his land. "As
\nmost of the ironwood had been cut, I had to go deep into the
\nforest to find seeds. Sometimes I had to buy them from someone
\nelse."<\/p>\n
Given what he has planted, many may think that he is quite
\nwell-off. However, he is just a modest elderly man, who lives in
\nan old, barely furnished hut.<\/p>\n
Unbeknownst to many, somewhere in the house Pak Djamin keeps
\nhis Kalpataru trophy, a national award for environmentalists. He
\nreceived the award in 2003. In addition to the trophy, he also
\nreceived Rp 5 million in cash. "I've deposited the money at Bank
\nRakyat Indonesia (BRI)," he said.<\/p>\n
"Some day I will let the government have my belian plantation
\nin exchange for Rp 2 billion. It is up to the government what to
\nmake of it later. It is better for the government to take this
\nplantation rather than spending all the money they on projects
\nwithout any clear goals," he said.<\/p>\n
While massive illegal logging is rampant in West Kalimantan,
\nthere are still some people like Pak Djamin. They are concerned
\nwith the well-being of future generations.<\/p>\n
Pak Djamin is a migrant that has lived in Tadan village,
\nSeluas, Bengkayang regency for decades. "I've been living in
\nTadan since I was 24 and got married with a local. My first wife
\ndied and with my second wife Moe, we've got 10 children," he
\nsaid, his face beaming with joy.<\/p>\n
His planting method is very simple. He collects the seeds that
\nfall on the ground and then the shell from which the offshoots
\nwould sprout was thinned with a short machete to ensure that the
\nstem would sprout easily.<\/p>\n
Then the seeds were protected in a plastic bag containing
\nsoil. The seed should not be put too deep into the soil while the
\nthinned part must face upwards.<\/p>\n
"Actually, belian trees grow easily. They do not need special
\ntreatment and you don't have to fork out a bunch of money for
\nfertilizer. From one belian seed, you can have three stems.<\/p>\n
Ironwood trees usually grow in a clump. Only when the stems
\ncome to a height of 15 cm can you take them away and then sow the
\nseeds back where they belong," Pak Djamin said.<\/p>\n
With his gray hair and 15 grandchildren, Pak Djamin is a
\ntypical Dayak many with a forward-looking vision. "If belian
\nbecomes extinct, what can we tell our future generations? The
\nforest is not only for a few people but it is for everybody.
\nUnfortunately, people usually destroy the forest rather than
\nlooking after it," he lamented.<\/p>\n
Pak Djamin added that it was getting a bit too late in life
\nfor him to start planting more trees. But encouraged others to
\ncultivate the tree and not wait until they are his age to start
\ncultivating ironwood. "I no longer can expect to enjoy the fruit
\nof my hard work. I will be satisfied to be able to prepare for my
\nchildren's and grandchildren's future," he said, with sincerity.<\/p>\n
Living without a great deal of money does not make Djamin
\nreserved or inferior. A patriot, he fought for his country was in
\nskirmishes with neighboring Malaysia (1963-1965). No medals nor
\nstipend were given for his efforts.<\/p>\n
"I'm disappointed because I need not only the money but also
\nrecognition. It's for my grandchildren. I have gone through all
\nthe requirements to get allowance as a war veteran but it never
\nshows up," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/djamins-simple-life-green-dreams-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}