Fires blamed on land tillers unfair

Fires blamed on land tillers unfair

By Amon Stefanus

KETAPANG, West Kalimantan (JP): It is generally accepted that
forest fires are responsible for the current haze disaster.
However, the cause of these forest fires, a moot point now, has
made people point an accusing finger at one another.

In Pontianak alone, for example, a group of youths calling
themselves the Forum Supporting the President's Statement, staged
two demonstrations at the office of West Kalimantan Estate
Service.

As reported by the local Akcaya daily in its Sept. 25 issue,
they demanded that the head of the service, Karsan Sukardi,
apologize to the community of land tillers.

They claim his statement that land tillers were to blame for
forest fires, which later led to the haze disaster, had offended
and discredited them.

The same issue of the daily also carried an interview with
timber tycoon Mohammad "Bob" Hasan. In a mediating tone, the
tycoon said that land clearing by estate companies and nomadic
land tillers were both responsible for the forest fires. He also
claimed that forest fires were caused by timber smugglers who
often resorted to burning in order to cover evidence of their
operations.

As a member of a land-tilling family myself, I found this
statement subjective.

One question worth asking here is: Why have land tillers often
been blamed for causing forest fires in this country?

The answer may be simple: these people usually employ a
burning method to till the land. The fact that a burning method
is used has led many people to a logical conclusion that the fire
may spread to larger areas and finally create a forest fire.

This is where the problem lies. Many people have little
knowledge about what land tilling really is. It is generally
thought that not only are land tillers ignorant and poor, but
also they have never learned how to apply modern farming methods.
Therefore, many people assume that they till the land carelessly.

The fact is the opposite. Land tilling, particularly in
Kalimantan, has its own technology. Burning is usually conducted
in the early days of the wet season or in the later period of the
dry season. This timing is aimed at ensuring that the rice can
get enough water.

After trees are felled and are ready to burn, some safety
preparations are carried out. It is not true, therefore, that
land tilling simply means haphazard burning.

Prior to burning, fire-blocking paths, known as piadang in the
Dayak language, are prepared along all the boundaries of the rice
fields. These piadangs are made to prevent the fire from
spreading to rubber estates, orchards or the surrounding forest
areas.

Land burning also takes into account the direction the wind
takes. If the wind blows to the west, burning must start from the
west. In such a situation, burning must not start from the north,
for example, because if it does, the fire can easily raze the
forest areas lying at the western side of the field.

If during land burning the fire happens to spread and later
gut rubber estates and orchards, the owner of the field will be
subject to a customary sanction and must pay compensation to the
owners of the estates that are accidentally burned.

A heavier customary sanction will be imposed if the fire guts
houses or cattle belonging to other people. The heaviest
customary penalty will be exacted if the fire kills people.

To minimize the risk of a forest fire, all family members and
all owners of the estates around the field will lend a hand
during a land burning. If this happens close to people's houses
in a village, the villagers will also provide help.

To say that land tillers do not contribute at all to causing
forest fires and haze would be simply self-justification.
However, it is indeed very naive to say that land tillers are the
main culprits of forest fires and haze.

Land tillers usually work on relatively small plots of land
measuring less than one hectare. The fire raging on these plots
are usually easy to control.

Besides, they have their traditional land-tilling technology.
Land tillers (particularly in Kalimantan) will not let their fire
burn forest areas because forests are nothing other than their
own lives.

It is indeed easy and relatively risk-free to blame land
tillers as the culprits of forest fires and haze. They occupy a
politically weak position in society and may not have any inkling
that they have been made scapegoats by certain quarters that feel
cornered.

The writer, an alumnus of Sanata Dharma University,
Yogyakarta, is a teacher at Usaba 2 Junior High School in
Ketapang, West Kalimantan.