Marhaen students share knowledge with others
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Tat Wan Ansi, the slogan of the student conservationist group, is always in the head of its members.
The Sanskrit words that mean "I am You and You are Me" are the motto of the Marpala (standing for Marhaen Pecinta Alam) -- a student conservationist group at Jakarta's Bung Karno University.
"It means that there is no difference among all Marpala members and between them and the society. That is why we must be ready to share with others," secretary of Marpala Muhammad Erwin told The Jakarta Post at the group's office on Thursday.
Being ready to share with others, the Marpala members have transformed it into various actions, especially to keep their surroundings clean and to conserve nature.
The latest activity of Marpala, for example, was a joint program in June to clean up a section of the putrid, overpolluted Ciliwung River in Jakarta.
The students, the Marpala members, did not only clean up the river, but also spent time speaking with nearby residents on the subject of throwing garbage into the river.
"From that discussion with people living along the Ciliwung River, we know that they just throw garbage into the river because they do not have garbage bins," Erwin said.
He added that the students then tried their best to contact related institutions to respond to the complaints of the people.
The Marpala has organized the operasi bersih (cleaning up the river) several times. Usually, they start at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. with a break for lunch.
About 30 student conservationists participated in the social activities.
"Government offices and the neighborhood of the houses give support to us," said Yuliatin, who just joined Marpala five months ago.
As a new member, Yuliatin -- popularly called Yuli -- said that she learned many lessons from the activities with Marpala.
"Well, I know how to cooperate with government officers and to build coordination among many people," she said.
Aside from organizing the river clean-up program, the group also contributes to natural conservation. As an example, the group always tells its members to bring tree seeds any time they go to a forest.
Since its establishment in 2000, Marpala has consistently planted and nurtured trees in different places like Pasir Rengit on the slopes of Mount Salak, Pasir Muncang on the slopes of Mount Gede and in Citeureup; all in West Java.
"When we return to those areas, we can see that those trees have grown up high," Erwin said.
Like other student conservationist groups, Marpala also does a few activities just for fun. It has five divisions of activities: spelunking, rock climbing, mountain, forest and nature treks.
Although the group is divided into five units, members of each unit often organize activities together. For example, if there is a navigation drill for the mountain and forest unit, members of other units can join in and learn too.
Among the activities that have been organized are: offering assistance for victims of a Jakarta fire in 2001; participating in social activities for victims of the Banten floods of 2001; sending volunteers to help victims of floods in Jakarta in 2002, a mountain climbing expedition on Mount Pangrango and Mount Gede in West Java in 2002; conservation of mangrove areas in Muara Angke, North Jakarta in 2003; and conservation of coral reefs in 2003.
Given the various activities, it is not surprising that the Marpala members have received many accolades.
One Marpala member, Wahyu Sudrajat, won second prize in a water rescue competition in 2003.
As a senior member of Marpala, Erwin still contributes to the group and encourages younger members to improve on their achievements in the future.
"I only prepare my younger colleagues to become better conservationists," he said.
Preparing the younger associates to perform better requires a readiness to share. That is Tat Wan Ansi.