People-profile-ClausDauselt

JP/20/CLAUS

German engineer remains loyal to Kupang locals

Yemris Fointuna The Jakarta Post/Kupang

Modest in appearance, polite and open in his attitude as well as fluent in Indonesian, Dr. Claus Jurgen Dauselt also speaks a little Dawan, the language of West Timor.

Born in Munich, Germany, on Jan. 13, 1955 and an engineering graduate of Munich University with a specialization in development management, he has dedicated 15 years of his life to Indonesia, in particular East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Maluku, as well as East Timor and several other Southeast Asian countries.

Known as Claus to locals, he is well-known among the rural people in East Nusa Tenggara and several other areas. He is regarded in these places as a hero, as the benefits of his work are enjoyed by poor communities in over 90 remote villages in Indonesia.

He came to Indonesia in September 1989 as an engineering consultant for a clean water sanitation project, the fruit of cooperation between the Indonesian and German governments. Once here, he decided to leave behind the buzz of the metropolis in his country, give up his urban lifestyle and live with the poor community in the places where he was assigned.

Thanks to his persistence and achievement, he was later named head of the Southeast Asia Representative Office of Wind Guard, a German company with an international license dealing specifically in renewable energy technology.

Despite his title, Claus, who is married to Susi Katipana, prefers to have his office in Kupang. "I can work more peacefully here as it is far from any noise. My work territory covers the whole of Southeast Asia, but I don't want to have my office in Bali, Jakarta or Singapore.

"I prefer to live among the villagers. I can joke with them, share love with them and we can appreciate one another," he said at his beautiful home on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Kota Baru, Kupang.

His development work involves solar energy, clean water sanitation facilities, public latrines and aid for natural disaster victims.

The fruits of his work have been enjoyed in many villages. "Many people say that East Nusa Tenggara is poor, barren and dry. God, however, has bestowed this region with a lot of solar energy and wind. This potential cannot be found anywhere else. So, why don't we tap this potential for the welfare of the locals?" he asked.

Claus said Indonesia was once one of the world's largest oil exporters. Today, however, it has become an oil-importing country. This shows that there is a decrease in the world's natural oil and gas reserves and that some day these reserves will be depleted.

This concern has prompted him to help people in East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Maluku and Sulawesi to be able to tap the potential of solar energy and the wind as a source of environmentally friendly alternative energy.

Claus has carried out wind surveys in Kupang, Rote Ndao and Central South Timor regencies and also in several other regencies in Maluku. He then established a wind database for the construction of a power-generating turbine -- the largest in Indonesia and the most sophisticated in Southeast Asia.

Wind power is utilized as a source of renewable energy, a way of addressing the fuel crisis, and has also been used to distill seawater into fresh water, a response to the shortage of potable water in many parts of Indonesia.

"I visited many villages. Most complain about a lack of water and electricity. I have told them they have great solar energy and wind potential. Then there is technology to overcome the shortage of water and electricity.

We can build a turbine. The government has said that it is impossible to build a diesel-powered, electricity-generating station in many villages due to the high cost and difficult topography. We helped the villages by providing them with solar power," said Claus.

In advanced countries, he said, electricity was essential because it allowed people to work day and night. Thanks to electricity, people can make use of technology to build their businesses.

Electricity also allows children to study without interruption. Thanks to electricity and communications technology, the community can keep up with the latest information. East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, rural areas of Kalimantan, Papua and several other regions are still considered the least developed due to a lack of electricity.

"Take Oeledo village, Rote Ndao regency and East Nusa Tenggara, for example. Before 2001, this village was really isolated. We have helped this village with solar power. At first each family earned less than Rp 60,000 but now their income has risen to over Rp 500,000.

"These villagers make use of electricity for their home industry. They can use electronic gadgets. They also have public telephones and can communicate with the outside world," he noted.

Claus, who has also collected over 6,000 traditional ikat (tie-dyed) woven fabrics from various regions, suggested that Indonesia, which is a tropical country, with much of its territory being dry, should move swiftly to alternative energy as a source of electricity.

"Many advanced countries like Germany, Denmark, Britain, the United States and many others in Europe, have, since the early 1980s, campaigned for the use of alternative energy. More than 10 percent of the energy requirements in these countries is supplied by wind turbines and solar power. Their climate is different to Indonesia's. You have only wet and dry seasons in this country," he said.

Perhaps, owing to his great love for Indonesia, and particularly because of his affinity with the poor, smiling Claus has repeatedly refused to be transferred to Europe or Africa.

As the driving force of Wind Guard in Southeast Asia, he controls the operations of the company in the rocky, dry and barren city of Kupang.