Djamin's simple life, green dreams

Bambang Bider, Contributor, Pontianak, West Kalimantan

He is exclusive, not because he shuns interviews, but because it simply is not very easy to find him with free time. One must be prepared to spend four hours sitting on an old fiber boat cruising slowly along the Seluas river in Bengkayang regency in West Kalimantan to spend time with him.

An official at the Seluas District office warned that, "Even if you get there, you may not be able to see him at home."

He was right. When The Jakarta Post arrived at his house in Tadan village, Pak Djamin was out. His eldest child said he was staying in a ladang, a plot of land for unirrigated farming. So, our longboat began another trip up the Biang River to see him.

Thousands of belian or ironwood trees (Eusderoxylon Zwageri T. & B) lined the right bank of the river. They were planted on Pak Djamin's initiative.

For Djamin this has not been the case, though. Born 63 years ago in Darit, Landak regency, Djamin chose to plant the trees.

He began to plant ironwood trees back in 1993. He went out in search of the seeds and then he planted them on his land along the banks of the Biang River.

His sons, Kaling and Inson, have now planted some 2,400 ironwood trees. Some of the trees are now 12 meters high with diameters of between 7 centimeters (cm) and 20 cm. These trees are planted between tengkawang (Shorea spp) trees. Djamin said that he had planted, in total, some 5,000 belian trees.

Pak Djamin became interested in cultivating them after a visit to a number of places in East Java, where he saw only acacia and teak trees but no ironwood trees.

In its original habitat in Kalimantan, ironwood are facing extinction. "People chop them down, but have never thought of replanting," he told The Post while sitting in his modest hut.

Returning from his visit to East Java, Djamin, a father of ten, decided to plant ironwood systematically on his land. "As most of the ironwood had been cut, I had to go deep into the forest to find seeds. Sometimes I had to buy them from someone else."

Given what he has planted, many may think that he is quite well-off. However, he is just a modest elderly man, who lives in an old, barely furnished hut.

Unbeknownst to many, somewhere in the house Pak Djamin keeps his Kalpataru trophy, a national award for environmentalists. He received the award in 2003. In addition to the trophy, he also received Rp 5 million in cash. "I've deposited the money at Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI)," he said.

"Some day I will let the government have my belian plantation in exchange for Rp 2 billion. It is up to the government what to make of it later. It is better for the government to take this plantation rather than spending all the money they on projects without any clear goals," he said.

While massive illegal logging is rampant in West Kalimantan, there are still some people like Pak Djamin. They are concerned with the well-being of future generations.

Pak Djamin is a migrant that has lived in Tadan village, Seluas, Bengkayang regency for decades. "I've been living in Tadan since I was 24 and got married with a local. My first wife died and with my second wife Moe, we've got 10 children," he said, his face beaming with joy.

His planting method is very simple. He collects the seeds that fall on the ground and then the shell from which the offshoots would sprout was thinned with a short machete to ensure that the stem would sprout easily.

Then the seeds were protected in a plastic bag containing soil. The seed should not be put too deep into the soil while the thinned part must face upwards.

"Actually, belian trees grow easily. They do not need special treatment and you don't have to fork out a bunch of money for fertilizer. From one belian seed, you can have three stems.

Ironwood trees usually grow in a clump. Only when the stems come to a height of 15 cm can you take them away and then sow the seeds back where they belong," Pak Djamin said.

With his gray hair and 15 grandchildren, Pak Djamin is a typical Dayak many with a forward-looking vision. "If belian becomes extinct, what can we tell our future generations? The forest is not only for a few people but it is for everybody. Unfortunately, people usually destroy the forest rather than looking after it," he lamented.

Pak Djamin added that it was getting a bit too late in life for him to start planting more trees. But encouraged others to cultivate the tree and not wait until they are his age to start cultivating ironwood. "I no longer can expect to enjoy the fruit of my hard work. I will be satisfied to be able to prepare for my children's and grandchildren's future," he said, with sincerity.

Living without a great deal of money does not make Djamin reserved or inferior. A patriot, he fought for his country was in skirmishes with neighboring Malaysia (1963-1965). No medals nor stipend were given for his efforts.

"I'm disappointed because I need not only the money but also recognition. It's for my grandchildren. I have gone through all the requirements to get allowance as a war veteran but it never shows up," he said.