Villagers undeterred by Mount Merapi eruption
By Haryoso
SEMARANG (JP): Central Java Governor Soewardi went ballistic on hearing residents of Sambirejo village on the slopes of Mount Merapi had refused to evacuate when the volcano erupted last month.
The people that live about 10 kilometers from the mountain's summit seemed to challenge the clouds of hot ash, the burning lava streaming down the slopes, the tremors and the occasional bangs.
The governor visited the village a few days after the volcano's activity subsided only to hear his offer of free resettlement politely refused.
"They refused to move under the (state-sponsored) transmigration program on the grounds that they were inseparable from their village," the governor said.
The villagers have always fiercely stuck to their belief that Merapi eruptions are not a calamity for them -- at least to those who are devoutly religions.
Prawirorejo, a 60-year-old farmer and respected community leader, says that Merapi's explosion is no less than a divine test for people in nearby areas.
"Only those who had not carried out God's word would perish and those who wholeheartedly believe in God would have nothing to worry about," he told The Jakarta Post.
To the surprise of officials and public alike, Sambirejo was not significantly affected by the Jan. 17 eruption which forced 18,000 people to flee their homes, leaving behind their livestock and hard-earned belongings.
The village was also spared by the Nov. 22, 1994 eruption that claimed 68 lives, maimed 11 others and left 5,000 homeless, mostly in the nearby Turgo village.
Prawirorejo said Sambirejo residents believe the people saved from the ravages of Merapi's hot lava and heat clouds were true believers while those affected were sinful and had to repent.
For most Sambirejo villagers, the eruptions are divine intervention because Merapi's lava fertilizes their land while the rocks and sand provide useful building materials.
The farmers believe in an old man named Slamet (literally meaning "Safe"). In times of high volcanic activity, they will not vacate unless Slamet tells them to.
Prawirorejo says God will pass messages of impending disasters to the villagers through Slamet, who conveys them to the whole village.
But academics say that the villagers' belief is "irrational" and stories about the old man Slamet are made up with to instill a sense of fanaticism about the village.
"Natural disasters can kill anybody no matter whether they believe in God or not, sinful or otherwise" says Fajar Ismail, an anthropologist from Diponegoro University.
"The truth is that the Sambirejo villagers are reluctant to move," he says.
Agricultural land near Merapi is renown for its fertility.
The 2,968 meter high volcano is one of the world's most active. In times of low activity, it is highly popular among mountaineers.