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.