Poverty drives residents to loot local sugar mill

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."