Troubled Kalimantan revisited after 20 years

By Jean Jacques Kusnie

PARIS (JP): Though lacking sufficient supplies or information, I decided to leave for Indonesia, and headed to Kalimantan. The land of the Dayaks is where I was born and grew up. It is the first place where I was aware of my existence. Rice that I ate, water that I drank, air that I breathed, little playfriends, all were part of my memories of this land.

It is the soul and spirit of this land that gives strength to my wings -- a hornbill son who flew thousands of miles over the ocean to Paris, the strange place I have loved for more than 20 years.

I left Paris last month in the peak of the summer on a paid holiday -- in French it is called conge paye, the result of the French Revolution.

In Jakarta, I learned that Kalimantan was on fire. The land was smoggy, and the sky was misty. I worried whether I would be able to step on the land of Tambun Bungai (Kalimantan) smoothly.

The bad news on Kalimantan that had reached Paris was the Dayak-Madurese ethnic clash. Western media described the Dayak's "cannibalism", and the supposedly savage headhunters, reflecting the stereotypical Western concepts and doctrines of the noble savages' civilization.

The Busang case was also widely reported in the Western media, with an accompanying map of the "biggest" gold deposit in the world. I wondered why the outside investors, who have greedily "attacked" Kalimantan, are not listed as the cause of the smoggy air.

There has been wide criticism of the forest fires in the past two years. Unfortunately, it is the local farmers who are blamed and become the scapegoat.

Back to my trip to the homeland: after several turnings above Palangka Raya, my Merpati Fokker 28, landed safely. I had yet to become aware of the forest fire situation. However, as soon as I sat on the motorbike that took me to the hotel, I felt my eyes and nose affected by the smoke. Palangka Raya was just like a bride wearing a transparent wedding veil. Smoke even penetrated hotel rooms and houses.

After spending a night there, I set off for Kasongan, a village some 80 km away. Along the roadside, I saw about 10 hectares of burnt forest.

Initially, the Dayak people were blamed as the main perpetrators of the forest fires in Central Kalimantan. However, the viewpoint was a little different when the deputy governor, through the local newspaper Pelita Pembangunan, dismissed the allegation. He even pinpointed the logging companies and industrial tree plantation projects as those who should shoulder most of the responsibility.

I was almost too shocked to realize that the Dayak people, local non-governmental organizations and the intellectuals in the area had not made any comments on such a chaotic situation. I was disappointed and bothered by questions.

Where was the spirit of Tjilik Riwut and Oevang Oeray, respectively the first Dayak governors of Central and West Kalimantan? Is this silence a reflection of the weakness of the present Dayak generation? Is it true the Dayak are in a leadership crisis? Is this a sign of mental and moral degradation among the Dayak? The grassroots Dayak are suffering from consumerism. While they are competing to have satellite dishes, laser discs and home karaoke machines, the elite are vying for money and power, hunting for projects in a way which is not in accordance with procedures.

Relearning the cultural and social symbols may be the way to escape this moral degradation. I wonder whether, if there is no concrete agenda, the Dayak will soon disappear. They might become coolies in their own land, or they could become bandits, thieves, pickpockets for a handful of rice. Ironically, they are going to be thrown aside from their own land. If this were to happen, it would be the saddest tragedy in the history of humanity.

Is there any place for the Dayak to restore their own sociocultural values? Will they be able to determine and manage their own lives? Could they, in a proportional way, take part in development planning, implementation and control? Could they learn indigenous wisdom from ancestors?

Togetherness, the spirit of solidarity and the sense of community could perhaps be the light in the smoggy land and misty sky over the young Dayak people. Sadly, I had to return to Paris, while leaving those questions to my Dayak fellows, and to the attention of the "good political will" of the government.

The writer, who holds a doctorate in history, is a Ngajuk Dayak residing in Paris.