Marines kill five in land dispute

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Pasuruan, Surabaya

A protest over a disputed plot of land in Pasuruan regency, East Java, turned deadly Wednesday after marines shot and killed five people.

The Navy defended the shooting, saying soldiers followed standard procedures for dealing with a violent protest.

Human rights groups have condemned the incident, calling for a thorough investigation by the police and the National Commission on Human Rights.

"My soldiers did not want to become victims like in Papua. They just wanted to scare the protesters and make them stop," the marine commander at the Navy's Eastern Fleet in Surabaya, Maj. Gen. Safzen Nurdin, told a press conference.

He was referring to an anti-Freeport protest in Papua that ended with protesters killing several security officials.

Safzen said his soldiers fired warning shots before being "forced" to open fire on protesters.

"On behalf of the Navy, we express our deepest apologies over the incident," he said, promising to investigate the shooting.

The incident occurred in Telogo hamlet, Alas Telogo village, in Grati subdistrict, Lekok district.

It was triggered by a protest involving some 300 villagers angry over the construction of a Navy office on about 3,600 hectares of disputed land.

The dispute between residents and the Navy dates back several years, when residents from the subdistrict's 14 villages formally rejected plans by the Navy to turn the land into a location for military training.

Villagers took the case to court but lost. The case is currently in the appeal process.

Wednesday's protest began peacefully but turned violent when protesters began pelting stones at construction workers.

Navy personnel intervened, attempting to disperse the residents.

As residents continued throwing stones, according to the Navy, marines fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the protesters.

When that failed, they opened fire on the crowd.

Five residents died at the scene. Among the dead was a woman who was four months pregnant, identified as Dewi Khodijah, and a 27-year-old woman, Mistin, and her 3-year-old son, Khoirul.

At least seven others were injured in the shooting. The dead and the injured were taken to Syaiful Anwar Hospital in nearby Malang city.

Following the shooting residents blocked Pasuruan highway, which connects Surabaya-Banyuwangi-Bali, with trees and burning tires.

The blockade caused massive traffic jams before the road was cleared at around 8 p.m.

A witness, Ruba'i, said residents were angry after workers from the Navy's cooperative unit began building an office on the disputed land, which villagers had planted with vegetable gardens.

"The residents at first didn't dare protest, but then the situation heated up and (Navy personnel) opened fire, causing people to start picking up stones and throwing them. But then they (the marines) attacked the residents and chased them into their homes," he told journalists.

He said Dewi Khodijah was standing behind her house when she was shot in the head, and that Mistin, carrying her son Khoirul, was attempting to flee the clash when she was shot in the chest.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence condemned the shooting.

It urged the case be tried in criminal court, saying a military court might cover up the shooting and protect the marines.

"The military should respect the ongoing legal process of the land dispute and wait until a final verdict comes out. This incident is evidence of the military's old paradigm, which views the people as enemies," commission director Usman Hamid said.

-- Tony Hotland contributed to this story from Jakarta.

No option but to dump mud in river: Agency

Mud has been dumped in the Porong River

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sidoarjo

For almost a year now, mud gushing out of a botched gas exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java, has been dumped in the Porong River.

It has resulted in worsened sedimentation and poses a threat to the river's ecosystem and the nearby Madura Strait.

The sedimentation is clearly visible along the spillway in the Pejarakan district in Porong, some two kilometers from the mudflow's source. The water is gray and occasional wisps of white smoke can be seen coming off it.

Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency spokesman Ahmad Zulkarnaen said the agency was fully aware of the risks of dumping the mud in the river but not really have any other option.

"We have to continue dumping there since the mudflow volume has continued to increase. In the meantime, dumping the mudflow to the river is the only solution," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said the agency was attempting to deal with various problems related to the mudflow, including the anger of residents.

"When the mudflow's volume becomes overwhelming we have to channel it to the available ponds but residents living around the ponds get angry," Ahmad said, adding that people generally calmed down when the mud was dumped in Porong River, which they regarded as a safe location.

The agency, he said, was also aware that the increased sedimentation would change the river's ecosystem.

"We realize this, but what can we do?" he said.

Executive director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment in East Java Ridho Syaiful Ashari said he was surprised the agency continued to dump the mud in the river.

"The ecosystem is clearly changed and that's not it, the worst part is, (the move will) cause the death of coastal area economies," Ridho told the Post.

He said many residents were suffering because of the agency's decision as many residents along the river use its water for drinking and bathing.

"The agency should think about this, not to mention (what will happen) if the pollution reaches the Madura Strait and pollutes the Java sea," he said, urging the agency to find an environmentally-friendly solution.

Meanwhile, displaced mudflow victims in Porong continued their hunger strike Monday, although their numbers have declined from around 200 to some 40 people.

But their action has become more severe, with participants chaining their feet together.

Some 3,000 displaced residents in the market have rejected food provided by Sidoarjo regency Social Services office, preferring cash instead.

Probe of reporter's death runs into problems

Thursday, May 03, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Probolinggo

More than a year has passed and the investigation into the murder of Herlyanto, a freelance reporter from the Delta Post in Probolinggo, East Java, remains open.

Probolinggo Police arrested three suspects who pointed the finger at four other suspects, who are still at large. However, no one has been charged for the murder.

The murder took place on the night of April 29, 2006, in a stand of teakwood trees along the road between Tulopari village, in Tiris district, and Tarokan village, in Banyuanyar district. Herlyanto's body was found covered in blood with nine stab wounds to his back, stomach and head. Witnesses said he was followed by several people before his murder.

An investigation by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) alleged that Herlyanto's murder was likely motivated by his news reports. To support this claim the group points to his missing notebook and cell phone.

AJI's investigation later became the basis for international organizations, such as the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to denounce the killing.

Angered by what she says is the lack of progress in the investigation, Herlyanto's wife, Samudiana, has filed a complaint with the East Java Police.

Samudiana, accompanied by AJI's Ulin Nusron and Hendrayana from the Legal Aid Institute for the Media (LBH Pers), urged the provincial police to speed up the investigation.

"Our family hopes the police can resolve this case. We don't know who else to turn to," she said.

Samudiana said Herlyanto was the breadwinner of the family, paying for the education of their two children, Noer Rizka Septian Tina, 17, and Dwi Rizki Wali Hakiki, 10.

Samudiana also pleaded for help from the public in resolving the case.

Hendrayana from LBH Pers, says there has been a rise in the number of cases of violence against journalists in the country.

"The authorities should speed up their efforts in solving murder cases," he said, adding that the National Police chief and the media should be consistent in reporting violent incidents.

AJI's Ulin Nusron said changes in government had not resulted in improvements for working journalists, with many still subject to violence in the course of their work.

"The murder cases of Udin, a journalist for Bernas daily in Yogyakarta, and that of a reporter on Nias Island, North Sumatra, have not been solved," he said, adding that the country's image could be further tarnished if police were not proactive in solving such cases.

A Probolinggo journalist and friend of Herlyanto, Sahudi, said Herlyanto's murder was connected with two articles he wrote.

Two weeks before he was killed, Herlyanto reported on the sale of water by a local state-owned water company and the case of a collapsed bridge.

"He also wrote articles on signature forgery, but according to a police source, the murder was connected to a story Herlyanto wrote on the misuse of school operational funds," Sahudi said.

Urging return to traditional values

Friday, May 04, 2007

I.D. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sumenep, Madura

Madhura ampon kalonta e manca naghara/Buja tor tana kapor/Santre tor para keyae/Maasre sahajana baburughan...

Madura has gained world fame/Tho' it abounds in only salt and lime/With its Muslim students and clerics/All its pursuits will come true...

The verse above, quoted from the work of Madura-born poet Ismail, was recited on the sidelines of a cultural congress on Madura, a major East Java island, which was held to hear the Madurese people's aspirations for their future.

The Pamekasan poet's dream virtually amounts to the hopes of the entire island population, as was revealed at the inaugural Congress on Madura Culture, held in Sumenep from March 9-11.

Initiated by intellectuals, artists and cultural experts of the "salt island", the congress was prompted by concerns that the Madurese community had not risen above its lower-middle economic bracket, let alone its ethnic stereotypes.

"There are 13 million Madurese citizens in Indonesia, but only three million live on this island while the rest have spread all over the country. It's a sad thing to note that life in this region has remained unchanged," said Mien Ahmad Rifai, a Madurese researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"The time has come for Madura to start growing and be developed by its own people," added Said Abdullah, a Madurese member of the House of Representatives.

Their concerns found an outlet as the island's thinkers came up with the idea of convening the congress under the auspices of the Said Abdullah Institute (SAI) -- a center that focuses on women's education and empowerment. With the support of a local non-governmental organization, Ngadek Sodek Parjuga, and two media, a total of 150 delegates from four regencies of Madura, Bangkalan, Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep, attended the congress.

National and international experts and observers of Madura were also invited as keynote speakers, including man of letters D. Zamawi Imron, LIPI researcher Mien Ahmad Rifai, Madura conflict researcher A. Latief Wijaya and Dutch anthropologist Huub de Jonge of Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

The community living on the 5,300 sq km island is inseparable from its lofty values that serve as guidelines of life in the region, said to have been inhabited for the first time some 4,000 years ago.

"The values of life are followed by locals as rules of their livelihood, but regrettably the knowledge is considered sacred and thus impossible to develop, not to mention innovate," said Mien Rifai.

As time has passed by, the conservative character of this community has left it behind, prompting the stereotype of the rude, rowdy, irritable, hot-blooded and ill-mannered Madurese -- and ensuing public avoidance, resistance and rejection.

"Worse still, ethnic Madurese are seen as lacking initiative, being rigid, unable to keep pace with progress, and so forth," Rifai added.

These impressions are seemingly justified by the backward physical condition of the island compared with the other areas of East Java, although Madura is geographically closest to Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya. Rifai even likened the fate of the Madurese to Jewish, Chinese, Armenian and Kurdish minorities, whose presence has always aroused suspicion.

"The social environs where the four groups live won't let them grow," Rifai pointed out.

What actually lies behind the negative public image of the Madurese people is misunderstanding of their traditions and customs.

For example, regarding the assumption that the Madurese community is inclined to be "violent", an analysis by Madura conflict researcher Dr. A. Latief Wijaya showed that the ethnic culture of the Madurese demands a strict or firm approach -- rather than "violence". This attitude is easily noticeable in their choice of colors and in their cuisine.

"If they choose red, it's just plain red, and blue is blue, there's no shade or hue. So is food -- they like strong tastes," said Latief.

In interaction, however, this firmness appears spontaneously, often combined with heightened expressiveness. But this is not without reason.

"The spontaneity and overreaction arise when Madurese people are degraded, or in their own words tada ajhina (their very existence is ignored)," he said.

In the middle of 2006, for example, a brawl broke out in Batu Marmar district, Pamekasan, in which long-bladed sickles, a typical Madurese weapon, were used. Triggered by a land dispute, seven people were killed and dozens of others injured in the clash. While the public assumed that the fighting had been prompted by the Madurese's "belligerent" culture, in reality it stemmed from an ordinary financial spat.

Dutch anthropologist Dr. Huub de Jonge noted that the survival ability of the Madurese could be compared with Raas Island inhabitants in Bali. The endurance and close social bonds among the Raas dwellers have made them successful.

"The Raas community in Bali was once alienated and even forced out when Indonesia underwent economic crisis, but this group eventually survived and succeeded," added de Jonge.

Latief also suggested that ethnic Madurese should be aware that their harsh reaction was not the behavior proscribed by the noble values of their ancestors. This awareness should be reflected in their determination to replace the current mind-set.

"The mind-set should be built into a framework of mutual appreciation and respect among Indonesians, unification in peace, order and welfare," he proposed.

Nevertheless, this expected fundamental change cannot come from the local community, so other parties needed to give encouragement -- notably the government through its continuous attempts to realize the transformation.

"Formal education is the answer, by which Madura's cultural values can be inherited," said Syukur Ghazali, a scholar at Malang State University.

The high and religious cultural values that pervade the ethnic soul of Madura are not destructive, nor do they conform to the negative stereotypes so far assumed by society at large. The question is, according to Ghazali, whether education in Indonesia is capable of carrying it out.

"The fact is that we still judge educational quality by the facilities offered rather than the achievements made," he said.

Therefore, the school curriculum should be changed by the official inclusion of the Madurese language, with an aim to provide more opportunities for ethnic Madurese to interact formally in their native tongue.

"In religious education, ways should be sought to transform religious teachings into daily behavior instead of being a mere subject," Ghazali added.

A Madurese community figure and head of Sumenep's Pesantren Al Amien Islamic boarding school, Muhammad Idris Jauhari, said cultural and religious education could be undertaken effectively by further empowering the existing pesantren on the island.

The Islamic schools are to maintain local traditional values, called salaf, while accommodating modern values known as kholaf to achieve the goals of education.

Pesantren are also accessible to nearly all community members, most of which charge annual boarding and tuition at no higher than Rp 250,000.

A movement to nurture the love of Madurese traditional arts is another way of inculcating the islanders' cultural values.

D. Zawawi Imron described the importance of being Madura-conscious by reading his poem at the opening of this congress: I dare to chase high waves/To embrace the moon and pluck the stars/In the spiritual arms of my ancestors, in the heavens I vow/Madura, I'm your blood.

The artistic values of Madura are also reflected in the movements of local dances such as Alalabang and Muang Sangkal. In Sumenep alone exist about 10 traditional dance groups with a total of 600 members.

"Through this means (dance) we provide guidance for the present generation to preserve Madurese culture," head of Pottre Koneng Studio Edy Susanto told The Jakarta Post.

Dozens of youngsters between 6 and 18 years old were practicing traditional and modern dances guided by two assistant instructors in the studio on March 11, with their parents -- mostly mothers -- observing.

"I'm very happy my daughter is here taking dance lessons, as most of our family like traditional arts," said Sri Hidayati, who was accompanying 6-year-old Nafilatul Muzawaroh.

This endeavor -- to reintegrate Madurese culture and consciousness as a drive toward development -- is far from simple and will not be achieved by one cultural congress, but this is a step in the right direction.

It is hoped that formal education, combined with the spirit of ancestral Madurese values will eventually create a community of "new" Madurese with a reinvigorated mind-set. And through this, the negative stereotypes that have long been laid at the feet of ethnic Madurese are to be eliminated toward realizing the poet Ismail's dream of a successful Madura.

Lumajang school spreads the spirit

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Lumajang

The sound of children can be heard coming from inside Busthanul Athfal, a small mosque in Tegal Randu village on Madura Island in East Java province. But as soon as Matruki enters the wooden structure, the dozens of children fall instantly silent, their gaze focused on the 59-year-old man.

Matruki sits cross-legged on the floor, with his grandchild on his lap, as the children sit around him in a semi-circle. "Have you all contemplated what you have done today?" he asks in Madurese.

The students, aged between 7 and 12, remain shyly quiet.

"We have to be able to reflect on what we have done. By doing so, we can know what we'll do next," said Matruki, who has been teaching since 1982.

His words break the ice. One by one, the students, mostly children of migrant workers in the village, located in Klakah district in Lumajang regency, East Java, speak up.

"We have to work together to become smarter," said one of the students, Kiki.

The lesson was organized by Rakyat Merdeka, an alternative school in the village. At the school, everyone is a teacher, every place is a school. This phrase sums up the spirit of the school, which is to keep learning and to provide knowledge to everyone, everywhere.

Tegal Randu's school is part of a network of similar schools established by the Rakyat Merdeka Institution, which was set up in 2005.

The mosque used to host only Koran recital lessons, led by Matruki. Then about two years ago, the institute enriched and upgraded the teaching process, providing alternative learning methods. Matruki supported the move.

The school's presence has been like rain in the middle of the desert. Most of the children in the village were forced to end their formal education after elementary school, because their parents could not afford the fees.

Most of those in the village who can afford it prefer to continue their studies at Islamic boarding schools across Lumajang regency. Others give up on formal education and pursue religious knowledge, such as taking Koran recital lessons in mosques.

"We try to introduce general knowledge in ways that are easily understood," a mentor, A. Santoso, told The Jakarta Post.

Social studies subjects are introduced through discussions on the surrounding community and its problems. Natural sciences are taught by going out into the fields and actually planting and looking after seeds, while Indonesian art and literature are introduced through dance, poetry readings and making masks and musical instruments.

The school also offers students the chance to learn about subjects they may be naturally curious about, such as computers or English.

"We want to teach them whatever they need. They can learn what they need to know here," said Santoso.

There is one compulsory "subject", self-reflection, which takes place before the students start their classes.

"We teach children to evaluate what they have done during the day," said Matruki, who owns the mosque which hosts the school. "Self-evaluation will prevent students from making the same mistakes again."

Lessons are concentrated in the mosque, a modest building where students attend classes from 2 to 5 p.m.

Unlike most mosques, the walls of Busthanul Athfal are decorated with educational posters, some offering the English names of fruits and human body parts, others giving the Javanese words for different objects.

Textbook-filled shelves sit in one corner, while a number is a pile of musical instruments. All of these items are available for free.

"It's already a blessing if they come to the mosque regularly," said Santoso.

With its location on the banks of Lake Klakah and near the slopes of Mount Lamongan, the mosque also is ideally placed to teach students about nature.

Students begin their activities by reflecting on themselves and their day, then they recite the Koran and enjoy art lessons. They stop for afternoon prayers and then are free to choose from a range of available activities and lessons, from computers to gardening.

There are around 40 students at the school, most children but also a few adults.

Student Sholeh thinks the lessons offered by Rakyat Merdeka are more "fulfilling" than those at regular schools.

"I know now that there is so much knowledge out there, not just what is taught at schools. Now I know the types of plants that grow in my village," said Sholeh, 17, whose mother left home to work in Malaysia six years ago.

Sholeh is now honing his computer skills and dreams of getting a job where he can utilize these skills.

He also has another dream.

"I want to travel the world. Who knows, I can gain more knowledge along the way," said Sholeh, in the same spirit as his school, where everyone is a teacher and every place is a school.