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.