Tension over sand smoldering at Mt Merapi
Tension over sand smoldering at Mt Merapi
By M. Achadi
MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): Just like any other morning, the western foothills of Mount Merapi were enveloped in fog early last Dec. 13. In the chilly morning, locals were quarrying the sand on which their livelihoods depended. Beside them worked the heavy duty machines owned by a sand-quarrying company which also depends on the sand quarrying industry.
A few hours later, approximately 9 a.m. local time, the machine operators had a surprise visit from hundreds of people, some of whom were traditional manual sand quarriers. They wielded sharp weapons, including quarrying instruments such as crowbars and iron hammers.
Furious, these invaders ran amok. They destroyed anything they identified as their "adversaries'." Thirteen excavators were set ablaze. Corporate offices and a power generating unit were razed. The chaos lasted through the late afternoon, inflicting losses totaling approximately Rp 13 billion.
The violent mob was apparently mobilized to protest the way the Central Java provincial administration and the Magelang regency administration have managed the local sand quarrying industry.
The local government is perceived to have discriminated against locals while lavishly favoring sand-quarrying companies and their heavy-duty machinery. Even so, the stated function of these regional administrations in regulating the sand quarrying industry is not clear. Beyond being issuing permits and exercising certain controls, officials of the regional administration have taken part in sand quarrying themselves, a ruse typical of New Order administration.
This article will trace the root causes of Dec. 13's violent mob, the cauldron created by abusive local governments, opportunistic corporate enterprises and disenfranchised manual laborers.
Natural treasure
Mount Merapi, approximately 30 kilometers north of Yogyakarta and 2911 meters above sea level, has been known as the world's most active volcano. It is difficult to predict when Mount Merapi will erupt. However, it seems that the activities of this volcano are a blessing for the local people who enjoy fertile soil, clean water springs and a natural treasure trove of inexhaustible sand and rock quarries.
The sand and rock forming the lava which stream down this volcano accumulate in the upper reaches of its rivers and in parts of the forest west and southeast of Merapi. On the southeastern side of the volcano, River Boyong, River Kuning, River Gendol and River Woro, all flow to Yogyakarta.
On the western side there are River Blongkeng, River Lamat, River Sat, River Bebeng, River Krasak, River Batang, River Putih and River Senowo, among others, all located in Magelang regency, Central Java.
The locals living around the foot of Merapi have been quarrying sand in the riverbeds for generations, especially since Merapi's eruption in 1969.
However, when in the early 1990s a number of dams and dikes (locally known as sabo dam) were built as part of the Merapi Project (Promer), the sand-quarrying activities by the locals moved toward the foot of the mountain. They quarried the sand collected in the dams, the construction of which was financed by the Japanese government.
However, these sand-quarrying enterprises did not last long. The Central Java provincial administration issued Regional Regulation No. 6/1994, which regulated the excavation of C category minerals, including sand. The regulation stipulates, among other things, that someone quarrying sand must hold a Regional Mining Permit (SIPD).
The issuance of this regulation, originally intended to regulate mining, has led to injustices and confusion. Holders of the SIPD reserve the right to sell sand and to levy all trucks removing sand from their land.
Hundreds of hectares of quarrying terrain, generally in the upper reaches of the rivers where locals used to quarry sand, are now controlled by companies from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Magelang and Semarang. These companies generally employ heavy-duty machinery and large trucks.
Modern sand quarrying patterns and government policies have displaced locals who quarry sand traditionally. These locals have two choices: to find a new job or to work for the sand-quarrying companies.
Local workers at sand-quarrying companies, however, no longer quarry sand. They flatten the surface of the sand before modern machines throw tons of it into a truck, a job in which locals earn less than before.
A local, manual sand quarrier traditionally earned an average of Rp 15,000 a day. Working for the corporate quarrying companies, the locals earn only Rp 10,000 per day. As the number of workers is not compatible with the number of trucks, the workers are scheduled in rotations.
The modern sand-quarrying company is a bitter fact that locals have to swallow. Traditional, manual quarrying methods have been replaced by expedient, mechanized methods.
The locals dwelling around Merapi have set up an association called Paguyuban Gotong Royong (Goro) (Mutual-Help/Goro Association). The association mobilized 1,000 of its members to demonstrate at the office of the Regent's Assistant for Salam Region, Magelang, in mid-1994.
As a result of the demonstration, it was agreed that for every truck collecting sand, the locals must be employed to flatten the surface of the sand. Then it was also agreed to limit heavy-duty equipment such as back hoes, excavators and loaders, and that this heavy-duty equipment must not be operated in areas unreachable by locals quarrying sand traditionally.
Unlimited freedom
This agreement was effective for a while. Sand-quarrying companies, which previously enjoying unlimited freedom to operate their heavy-duty equipment, found the agreement disadvantageous to them. They began to covertly weaken the solidarity among Goro members and to collude with regional administration officials.
These companies paid Goro an allotment from the illegal levies collected from sand-transporting trucks. Further, some members of the executive board of Goro, including its chairman, Sungkono, were granted their own sand-quarrying sites by the regional administration.
As a result, Goro Association, then having 3,000 members, suffered a diminished bargaining power with the sand-quarrying companies. Certain members of the Goro executive board had even been recruited by a number of companies to take care of security in the sand-quarrying sites. Some Goro executives have also acted as middlemen between sand-quarrying companies and companies selling and leasing heavy-duty equipment.
This condition has prevailed for many years. Although the regional administration has issued a regulation on sand- quarrying, all sand-quarrying companies tend to violate this regulation. It is not clear which party should be responsible for the damage done to the environment as a result of industrial sand-quarrying activity. Nor is it clear where the industry's income tax proceeds have been distributed.
Industrial sand quarrying, relying on heavy-duty equipment and large-scale operations, has damaged the environment. Forests, public roads, dams and dikes, all of which serve as evacuation routes in the event of Merapi's eruption, have been severely damaged. At the close of 1998, most public roads in Srumbung sub- district, for example, have sustained serious damage.
These are the conditions triggering the outbreak of a violent mob at the foot of Mount Merapi last month. The possible perpetrators of arson could be culled from the various and conflicting interests in the sand quarrying industry. If the regional administration assigned to manage the sand-quarrying industry had acted fairly towards the entire community around Merapi, this violent group reaction would never have occurred.
This case has little hope for settlement. Post-riot sand- quarrying activities have resumed uncontrolled as has the damage to the environment. The regional administration seems utterly impotent. It seems that all parties involved have abdicated responsibility. Perhaps the common people must find their own resolution, even if it is a violent one.