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.