Urban heroes work for the future

Urban heroes work for the future

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesians commemorate Hero's Day to remember those who had
taken part in the country's long struggle for independence on
Nov. 10.

However, 60 years down the line, the term hero (pahlawan) has
expanded beyond the aging veterans who fought against the tyranny
of colonialism to a person who is admired for his or her
achievements and noble qualities.

The Jakarta Post has recognized three such people whose
devotion to their profession has led us to believe that there are
heroes among us.

Suharmaji, a teacher

Junior high school students at State High School No. 285 on
Untung Jawa Islet in Kepulauan Seribu regency, may well call
biology teacher Suharmaji, 41, their hero.

For about three years now, Suharmaji, has left his home in
Bekasi at 5 a.m. in the morning on his motorcycle to travel three
hours to Tanjung Pasir Port in Tangerang. Another half an hour by
speed boat gets him to the small island.

There he uses what the students know of their surroundings --
their natural playground of the sea, sand and mangrove forest --
to teach about the ecosystem.

"My students are one step ahead of those studying on land,
they are directly familiar with the mangrove forest," Suharmaji
likes to say.

By giving more knowledge about something familiar to the
students, he is able to create interest in the subjects he
teaches.

Keeping interest alive is a challenge on Untung Jawa Island.
The 35-hectare island has a population of about 1,600 people. To
this community -- which relies on fishing and the sea for their
livelihood -- obtaining an education is secondary to having a big
fishing boat.

This is why the high school teachers regularly visit the
students' families to give them the understanding of the
importance of education.

Suharmaji admits that he has learned more from his experience
teaching anak pulau (island children) than all of his 19 years at
a vocational high school in Plumpang, North Jakarta.

"There, a teacher who can stop his students fighting is
considered a success," he said.

Chaeruddin, a conservationist

Native Betawi people living along the banks of the
Pesanggrahan River in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, can thank
Chaeruddin, 49, for the conservation and preservation of their
environment.

The area along the eight-kilometer stretch of the river is
like an idyllic neighborhood from the olden days of Batavia, with
the sounds of birds singing and long-tailed monkeys cackling
among the trees.

It was not always like this however. Considered the guardian
of the area, Chaeruddin began his regreening effort in the 1990s
simply because he found that the area had changed for the worse.

"Nothing was still the same from our childhood and nobody
seemed to care about it," he said.

Chaeruddin, familiarly known as Bang Udin, began by educating
his neighbors -- young and old -- about the river, opening their
eyes to the benefit of conservation.

Along with fellow Betawi people he gathered data about animals
and plants once found in the area and tried to collect seeds to
be reintroduced to the area.

He was also well aware that people would be more interested in
conservation if it had some economic benefits for them, which was
why he also planted fruit trees, medicinal plants and secondary
crops.

The locals can now harvest the melinjo trees, which bear
edible leaves and fruit, planted along the river, as well as
vegetables, banana and papaya. The area is also now home to long-
tailed monkeys, 17 bird species, various mammals and reptiles, as
well as fish.

For his effort, Bang Udin has received numerous awards,
including the Kalpataru national award in 2000. But for all this
he says, "forests and rivers should be considered sacred. God
leaves them for us to care for".

Yunus Makasau, a civil servant

Those who have come up against Yunus Makasau, 54, know that
here is a man not to be trifled with. Big shots from the former
national police chief and former ministers to endangered animal
traders have not been spared from his efforts to reclaim
endangered species.

Now a staff member of the Ministry of Forestry, Yunus uses
various approaches from direct raids on markets to quiet
diplomacy, and has no scruples about bringing the media in on the
action.

"It's more effective than taking the police," he likes to say.

The endangered species trade -- both domestic and
international -- is a lucrative one that promises fast cash, for
which many are willing to break the law.

An orangutan, for example, can bring in about Rp 18 million
(about US$1,800) at seedy markets in Jakarta, and the price rises
to $9,000 on the black markets of Taiwan and Japan, and $54,000
in the United States.

The penchant of Jakarta's rich for keeping rare animals in
private menageries as a kind of status symbol does not help the
termination of this trade.

Yunus's raids on animal markets where protected species are
sold, such as on Jl. Barito in South Jakarta and the Pramuka
Market in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, and confiscation of private
pets have not gained him many friends.

"I often have to face police and military officers who
threaten me with their guns," Yunus said.

But in the government conservation compound -- built partly
with financial assistance from the Swiss-based Gibbon Foundation
-- in Tegalalur, West Jakarta, where he works, owls and gibbons
from Sumatra, honey bears from Kalimantan, and birds of paradise
and pig-nosed turtles from Papua, are waiting to be returned to
their natural habitat.

In a way, Yunus is a hero for the continuing survival of
endangered species, and their educational potential for later
generations.