JP\/20\/YASIN\/<\/p>\n
Onyx supports craftsman on 'sunlight' island<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Bawean, East Java<\/p>\n
Bawean island lies about 70 kilometers off the north coast of
\nEast Java province. It takes its name from a sanskrit phrase that
\nmeans \"there is sunlight\".<\/p>\n
Apart from its tok-tok bull races, which are a major tourist
\nattraction in themselves, Bawean also has onyx, a sought-after
\nform of quartz that has a wax-like luster. Unfortunately, only a
\nfew people have the skills to turn this valuable stone into
\nhighly prized objects.<\/p>\n
One of these is Mohammad Yasin, who comes from Rijing hamlet,
\nSungai Teluk Sangkapura village, Bawean. Yasin is now a
\nsuccessful onyx craftsman and businessman.<\/p>\n
When The Jakarta Post visited his onyx workshop, Yasin, born
\non April 15, 1937, in Laut Sungai hamlet, Sawah Mulya Sangkapura
\nvillage, Bawean, was wiping sweat from his face.<\/p>\n
He was taking a break after supervising 32 workers who had
\nbeen excavating and processing onyx for a full day, and was about
\nto eat the meal that had been prepared for him at home.<\/p>\n
\"I work hard to promote my onyx business. Most of my employees
\nare from Bawean. As they work here, they don't have to migrate to
\nMalaysia for work,\" he said, adding that other workers were from
\nTulungagung, East Java..<\/p>\n
Yasin started up in 2000. Before that, he was a government
\nschool teacher at several schools in Bawean. In 1970 he taught at
\ngovernment elementary school Lebak No. 2, Sangkapura Bawean. Five
\nyears later he was appointed headmaster of a government
\nelementary school in Sukalela, Tambak district.<\/p>\n
\"You live a difficult life as a teacher on an isolated island.
\nMy income was barely enough to feed the whole family and we had
\nto eat cassava every day,\" said Yasin, who graduated from
\nSurabaya Teachers' Training Secondary School in 1970.<\/p>\n
To earn extra income, Yasin went fishing after teaching. His
\nwife, Salmah, sold vegetables and several other daily
\nnecessities.<\/p>\n
In 1992, Yasin, who earned very little as a teacher, gave up
\nhis job and started making roof tiles and bricks. He not only
\nsold them on Bawean but also in Gresik and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Gradually, Yasin's standard of living went up. Earning about
\nRp 10 million a month, he was able to send his five sons and a
\ndaughter to university in Malang.<\/p>\n
\"I also bought each of my children a home on Bawean,\" he said.<\/p>\n
After graduating from university, Yasin's six children
\nreturned to Bawean. His sons help him with his business while his
\ndaughter is a health official on the island.<\/p>\n
When the monetary crisis hit Indonesia in 1998, Yasin's
\nbusiness collapsed as the demand for bricks and roof tiles from
\nplaces outside Bawean dropped. In 1999, he shut down the
\nenterprise.<\/p>\n
Yasin remained optimistic, though, and in 2000 he started his
\nonyx business. A businessman in Gresik gave him a loan of Rp 210
\nmillion to start up. Some of the onyx he had excavated was sent
\nto an onyx craftsman in Tulungagung.<\/p>\n
\"I repaid the loan within a year,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his perseverance, Yasin not only sells unprocessed
\nonyx but also his own onyx products such as sculptures, furniture
\nand so on.<\/p>\n
His onyx products are sold not only in Bawean but also in one
\noutlet in Tulungagung. Prices range from Rp 100,000 to Rp 10
\nmillion depending on the size of the objects and the intricacy
\nwith which they are carved.<\/p>\n
His onyx products are also exported to, among others, France,
\nAustralia, Hongkong and China. Yasin's business makes about Rp 65
\nmillion a month.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp20yasin-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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