Locals seek jobs at new ornamental fish complex

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor, West Java

Kusbandi, 50, had high hopes of finding a job as a driver at the new, flashy complex in Nanggewer Mekar subdistrict, Cibinong, Bogor. But reality confronted him right at the compound's gate.

"I thought working there would be much better than being a school bus driver. But the security guards at the gate said I'm too old and that employees from the maritime and fisheries ministry were being prioritized," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He is one of many people who tried to get a jobs at the new ornamental fish complex, a research and grading station where fish will be bred for quality and selected before they are exported.

Located in a 22-hectare complex and said to be the largest in Asia, the Ornamental Fish Breeding and Marketing Center will be officially opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Sunday.

The center has the capacity to accommodate fish from about 3,000 breeders and traders in Greater Jakarta within its three breeding areas and one quarantine facility.

As of Friday, all tanks stood empty.

Military and police officers had already begun to heighten security ahead of the inauguration, checking on everyone who arrived at its entrance gate, including hopeful job applicants, most of whom thought the center was a new factory.

The land, which belonged to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), was previously managed by locals to cultivate cassava for their livelihood. Its recent reclamation by LIPI had met with demonstrations, which had hampered the construction of the center.

Local leader Jafar Sidik claimed he was appointed by the Bogor administration to monitor the situation in the area to prevent any mishaps that might foil the inauguration ceremony.

"I was involved in maintaining security here ... my presence had prevented protests from taking place as construction began. Maybe that was because the residents look up to me.

"The government has also paid them a compensation of Rp 1,500 (less than 2 U.S. cents) for each meter of their cassava plot," he said.

The government expected the center would help boost the country's ornamental fish export in meeting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade standard.

Minister of Industry and Trade Rini MS Soewandi said earlier that Singapore held about 25 percent of the European market share for ornamental fish that it captured in Indonesian waters, while Indonesia only enjoyed 10 percent of the market share.

Recent data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries shows that Indonesia has 4,500 different species of ornamental fish, more than half of the estimated 8,000 species identified in the world. About 300 species have been named while around 50 have been bred and commercialized, but most are fresh water fish.

In Bogor alone, 126 fish breeders produce approximately seven million fish per year at a worth of up to Rp 4 billion. The fish are exported to Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States and European countries.