Fishing families resettled in Kendari in sorry state

Fishing families resettled in Kendari in sorry state

By La Ode Aminuddin and Abd Azis Senong

KENDARI (Antara): A decent standard of living and a bright
future were foremost in the minds of 150 fishermen and their
families when they left their homes in Central Java for a new
life in Lapulu resettlement unit, a suburb of Kendari in
Southeast Sulawesi.

Lapulu resettlement unit is part of a pilot project to
transmigrate fishing families out of rural Java.

"Honestly speaking, the moment I saw the facilities on offer,
I imagined that life would be better, especially for my children
and grandchildren," said Kadir, 35, who moved from Cilacap.

Upon arrival in Lampulu early in February last year, each
family received a 21-square-meter concrete house with water and
electricity supplies, built on a 105 square meter plot of land.
Furthermore, twenty fishing vessels were made available to the
transmigrant families -- approximately one between every eight
families.

Each family, consisting of a maximum of five people, received
10 kg of rice and Rp 70,000 every month for the first year they
lived in the resettlement unit. Agricultural implements and
seedlings were provided by different government agencies in
Southeast Sulawesi.

The resettled families joy was heightened when they learned
that the government had appointed a large fishing company as
their partner. The company was to provide investment capital and
purchase their catch at a fair price.

However, after a year of life in Lapulu, the migrants' hopes
for a better life have faded. What they have gone through in the
past year is their worst dreams come true.

Every day they are haunted by fears that they will not get
anything to eat because, despite their hard efforts, fish catches
are inadequate and they have to get by on a meager income.

Kadir said it cost Rp 600,000 to go to sea for 10 to 15 days.
Each fishing vessel needs five to eight crew members, diesel oil,
ice and food, excluding cigarettes and coffee.

However, catches are often sold for as little as Rp 200,000,
and the best they can hope for is around Rp 400,000, meaning that
every time they go fishing they spend more than they earn from
their catch.

"Luckily, our partner, PT Sultra Tuna Kendari, allows us to
pay for diesel oil and ice later if our expenses exceed our
income," he said.

Many families have been compelled to sell their belongings to
make ends meet.

Waryo, 35, admitted that he sold two dozen plate and three
dozen glasses, which he carried from his former home in Brebes,
Central Java, for Rp 20,000 because he had no money left to buy
rice and kerosene.

He also had to sell his wife's dowry - bracelets and rings -
for the same purpose and now has nothing left to sell except his
house.

Life became even harsher when government subsidies came to an
end in February this year, just as the monetary crisis peaked and
the price of daily necessities soared.

Return home

As a result of poor catches, many of the fishermen have
refused to go to sea and now prefer to find their own jobs such
as inshore fishing in Kendari Bay and construction work.

Fifteen families have returned to Java and many more plan to
follow suit if the situation does not change for the better.

According to Slamet, 36, catches have been poor because the
fishing vessels and gear supplied to them are not suitable for
use in the waters, and not because of poor fish stocks.

He said they had been given fishing nets unsuitable for use in
the rocky waters of the area. Fishing rods of the sort used by
the industrial fishing fleets operating in the region are the
correct sort of gear, he added.

He also said that 35 Dead Weight Ton (DWT) vessels, which
would enable them to fish further offshore and avoid snagging
their nets on rocks, should have been provided. The 10 DWT
vessels which were supplied are suitable only for inshore waters.

Besides, he lamented, the vessels were not in good condition.
Twelve of the boats have suffered serious mechanical difficulties
and are inoperable after only one year of use.

Deputy chairman of Southeast Sulawesi legislative assembly,
Prof. La Ode Siradjuddin Djarudju, said the problems occurred
because those who planned the project did not conduct adequate
preliminary field observation and analysis.

They should have thought about whether or not the fishing
vessels and equipment were suitable for Southeast Sulawesi waters
before purchasing them, he said.

Djarudju called on relevant authorities to act to correct the
mistakes made and ensure that problems with the resettlement
project be resolved.

However, some have voiced suspicions that many of the
resettled families did not like their new home because they were
not fishermen. They noted that in early days, many of the so-
called fishermen became sea-sick despite being only a few miles
offshore in calm seas.

Head of the Southeast Sulawesi provincial office of the
Ministry of Transmigration and Resettlement of Forest Nomads,
I.G. Made Raka, said that his office had made efforts to resolve
the problems, but failed to say exactly what the problems
were.

He said the monthly provision of 10 kg of rice per person had
been extended for a further six months.

Head of the provincial office of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Manggo Yosman, said that his office would provide 10 more 10 DWT
vessels. The vessels are currently in a state of disrepair and
are being serviced. They will be delivered as soon as repairs are
complete. The vessels were made in North Sumatra and were already
damaged when they arrived in Southeast Sulawesi, he added.

He said that he would pay attention to the fishermen's desires
for vessels of a larger tonnage, but added the size of the vessel
was less of a determinant of a good catch than the attitude and
efforts of the fishermen themselves.