Poverty drives residents to loot local sugar mill

By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo

PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): "If we had a permanent job, we would not have taken so much trouble trying to remove this railway track. This job is wearing us down. We have tried to take it off for half a day, yet it is still firmly in its place," said Sukardi, 40.

The track, about five meters long, has been set with cast iron and is firmly in place. Yet, Sukardi and his four friends did not give up easily.

Sukardi is a resident of Sokaraja Kidul village, Sokaraja subdistrict, Banyumas regency. He is only one of thousands of people who have preyed on iron from the sugar mill factory PT Pabrik Gula Kalibagor, three kilometers from where they live.

Armed with only crowbars and hammers, they tried hard to take off two rails from the railway track used for a sugarcane- transporting flatcar, located 100 meters north of the sugar mill.

A year ago, the sugar mill went bankrupt and has been neglected ever since. Since the closure of the sugar mill, the locals have been taking the iron around the mill and selling it by the kilo.

The economic crisis that has swept the country since mid-1997 is why this sugar mill, and several others in Central Java, have closed. After the closure of this sugar mill, which was established by the Dutch in 1917, rumors have been spreading that the mill has been bought by the family of former president Soeharto.

Sukarso, 50, head of Kalibagor village, said, "I have heard the mill has been bought by the Cendana (the name of the street where Soeharto lives) family. Reportedly the iron from this mill will be made into Timor car spare parts and the compound will be turned into a showroom for this automobile."

In fact, local residents are not happy with the presence of this sugar mill.

"Although in its operation this sugar mill recruited seasonal workers, these workers were usually taken from other areas. Besides, the pay was very low," said Sukarso, adding that the mill did not help improve the villagers' economic condition.

So, the rumors that it has been bought by the Cendana family, and the annoyance that the villagers have harbored against the mill have conspired to encourage the locals to loot the mill of its iron.

In mid-October, thousands of residents came to the mill and took away any iron that they could lay their hands on. In a matter of hours, the whole mill was dismantled. All the iron inside the mill was taken away. Even the one-kilometer railway track for a sugarcane flatcar was not spared. People came not only from Kalibagor but also from neighboring subdistricts. They took the iron individually and in groups.

"In groups, we can find iron of larger sizes more easily. We can collect more," Sukardi said.

The presence of a large crowd of people at the sugar mill was too much for the local police to deal with alone. So, head of Banyumas police, Lt. Col. Johnny Hotma Hutauruk, deployed a mobile brigade of troops to control the crowds.

"Up to now, some 200 metric tons of iron has been taken by the masses from the mill location," he said, adding that there was 2,000 tons of iron in the whole mill. Although security has now been tightened, looting still continues. The looters even play hide-and-seek with on-duty security personnel, just to be able to collect some iron.

For survival

Pandi, 45, a resident of Rawalo, who also looted the sugar mill, admitted that he could survive thanks to the iron. "Well, I am jobless. I will do anything as long as I can get money." He said that he could get enough money from selling the iron. Besides, it is easy to sell the iron as a buyer is always available.

Partono, 35, of Sokaraja village, agreed. "If we have proper tools, for example an iron saw, we could get iron of larger sizes, for example, iron bars that are found on the roof of the mill," he said.

According to Partono, the looting began half a year ago. "When there was a report that the mill was bought by the children of Pak Harto (Soeharto), the locals could not accept this and went together to the mill to get the iron."

According to him, they can get by from this looting. A person, he said, can collect 50 kgs to 100 kgs of iron and then sell it in Purwokerto at Rp 500 per kilo.

"Cast iron, however, can be sold from Rp 700 to Rp 800 per kg," said Sukardi. "Yesterday, our group of five collected over two tons of iron. Today, we can collect another ton if we can remove this railway track," he said, grabbing his crowbar and trying to remove the railway track. At Rp 500 a kilo, Sukardi can earn Rp 50,000 a day.

Pandi was luckier. He came across iron bars lying on the ground. Once, he and three of his friends collected three tons of iron in a day and earned Rp 1.5 million.

"Well, it's good enough. Just like good fortune in this difficult time. Rather than falling into the hands of the children of Pak Harto, who are already rich, this iron is better for us," Pandi said.

"Hopefully, the iron in the entire building of the sugar mill is not sold and we, the poor, will be allowed to collect it for our survival," said Sukardi. "In a difficult time like this, we just want to survive."