Mukarim, a pragmatic fisherman

Mukarim, a pragmatic fisherman

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post/Pasuruan

Earning some Rp 100,000 a day, fisherman Mukarim from Panunggal
village, Pasuruan regency, East Java province, never expected to
receive the Kalpataru.

The award, for achievement in the environmental field, was
bestowed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier this month
in recognition of Mukarim's efforts to create a 57-hectare
mangrove forest along a six-kilometer stretch of coastline, from
Ketapang village, Probolinggo, to Klaten village, Pasuruan.

Mukarim and his family started to create the forest in 1986 --
originally to protect fishermen's homes in the village against
high tides.

"It was never in the least my intention to seek fame. I simply
tried to ensure that my house would not be submerged by seawater
when there were high tides," he told The Jakarta Post recently.

Prior to the existence of the mangrove forest, fishermen in
Mukarim's village, which is only two km away from the coast, were
always threatened by unpredictable high tides. They not only
destroyed a number of houses in the village but also damaged
several village facilities such as latrines and fishermen's
warehouses. To escape the tides, many locals moved away.

Not to be outdone, Mukarim took the initiative to grow
mangroves along the coast. At first, the locals largely ignored
what Mukarim and his four children were doing.

They thought all the effort would be fruitless because high
tides are a natural phenomenon, a risk that fishermen living
adjacent to the coast must be prepared to accept. Besides,
Mukarim's colleagues were too busy fishing at sea to plant
thousands of mangrove trees.

Eventually, however, Mukarim managed to convince his
colleagues of the importance of a mangrove forest to the village.
In 1989, Sumber Rejeki, a fishermen's cooperative, was set up to
help Mukarim create the forest.

Financing the mangrove planting drive by themselves, the
villagers, mobilized and motivated by Sumber Rejeki, eventually
succeeded in planting mangrove trees to form a thick belt along a
substantial stretch of coast.

Mukarim and his fellow villagers can now enjoy the benefit
that the mangrove forest provides. High tides no longer damage
villagers homes, as the forest obstructs the passage of water
inland. Locals have also boosted their earnings by collecting
oysters, many of which have adopted the mangrove as their
habitat. They can fetch Rp 10,000 per kilogram at market.

His success in organizing fellow villagers to grow mangrove
trees earned Mukarim his award in the environmental pioneers
category.

Since becoming a Kalpataru laureate, Mukarim has been enjoying
more than the 15 minutes of fame dished out to mere mortals. When
he took The Jakarta Post to see the mangrove forest, locals
cheered every time they saw him; Mukarim, modestly, told them he
was showing a journalist the forest.

His cellular phone rings constantly, as many of his distant
relatives call him to congratulate him on the award. Furthermore,
he has received many requests for interviews from the print and
electronic media.

"After this interview, I will give an interview to Radio 68H
Jakarta via a long-distance phone call. Then, later in the
afternoon, I shall go to the Pasuruan office of the Agency for
Control of Environmental Impact," he said, showing the Post a new
cell phone that he had received from an official of the regional
administration a day before he left for Jakarta.

Mukarim likes his cell phone as much as he loves his fishing
net and boat, although at first he found it rather awkward to
use.

Apart from winning the award, Mukarim also received a gift of
Rp 5 million in cash from the Office of the State Minister of the
Environment, as well as an outfit and footwear from the regional
administration. He has already donated some of the cash for the
construction of a mosque.

Despite his new-found fame, Mukarim remains a modest fishermen
with a lifestyle to match. While on his old, trusty motorcycle, a
vehicle he rides to check his mangrove trees every morning, he
told the Post how disconcerted he was when he stayed at the
RedTop, Central Jakarta -- the first time had ever been in a
swanky hotel.

He said he spent what seemed like hours in a lift until --
fortunately -- someone took him to the room where he was supposed
to be.

Also, when he was invited to lunch at the State Place with
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the impressive array of food
confused him. He chose only soybean cake and soybean curd, which
were meant to be side dishes. Luckily, a member of the
presidential guard gave him some other food.

These days, Mukarim does not fish much because he receives so
many speaking invitations. He has met East Java Governor Imam
Utomo and attended seminars organized by the regional
administration.

"It's nicer, though, to eat with fishermen, you know. If you
have a meal with the President, you can't really enjoy it as
you're too scared of making a faux pas," he observed, wryly.