Gresi Plasmanto

Shortly after the morning prayer call at 5 am, Amrizal (32) hustled from his home. He carried a small jerry can of fuel and rushed to Kampung Laut pier in the Kuala Jambi District, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi Province, northwest of Jakarta Amrizal, a fisherman from the Duano tribe, sailing the eastern coast of Indonesia’s Jambi Province on Thursday (12/9/2022). Most fishermen in Jambi Province’s eastern coastline have decreasing catch from the sea. People were busy preparing supplies to fish in the sea on that pier. Amrizal is a fisherman from the Duano tribe. For the indigenous Duano, the sea is an extension of their cultural identity. Wooden fishing boats with outboard motors or pompong in the local language and canoes were lined up and tied to the pier’s poles, made from nibung woods, which is an Asian specie of palm tree in the Arecaceae family. Amrizal immediately poured the fuel from his jerry can into his pompong’s tank. This is his daily routine before fishing. Duano Tribe settlements on the east coast of Jambi, precisely in Kampung Laut, East Tanjung Jabung, Jambi He invited me to board his 4-by-1.5-metre boat. Racing with time, Amrizal turned on the engine. The small wooden boat powered by outboard motors slowly crept over the coastal current, leaving the pier of Kampung Laut towards the sea. The constant rumbling sound from the engine silenced us during the one-hour ride. Slowly, the Friday dawn was rising, illuminating the entire horizon. Amrizal’s boat then reached its destination. He turned the engine off and lowered the anchor. He instantly cast a 600-metre fishing net and hoped to catch many fishes with his nets. “I’m afraid of catching fish in the area far from the coast. It’s dangerous in the open sea,” Amrizal said. He did not want to take the risk because he did not have enough supplies, just bottled tea and bread. He had no first aid kits, not even a life jacket. Most members of the Duano tribe depend on their catches from the sea. Amrizal reminisced that in the past, he could gain so much catch from a day of fishing. In the past half-decade, he needed to work harder with uncertain results. He also had to pay his boat’s instalments to the wholesaler who buys his fish.“Today, the most I get per day is about IDR 100,000 (US$6.70), and I still need to pay for fuels and boat instalments to the wholesaler. So, I can only get IDR 50,000 to bring home.” Amrizal sighed.Amrizal has to look after his wife and three children. He must also pay his eldest child’s tuition fees at a local junior high school. Sometimes, situations were challenging, and he could not make enough money from fishing, forcing him to borrow from his wholesaler.“Now, fishing cost keeps increasing while our catches keep decreasing. Not to mention the increasing danger of fishing in the sea. These have made our lives, the Duano fishermen who only rely on small traditional wooden boats, very difficult,” Amrizal said. Traditional fishing settlements on the east coast of Jambi. The situation of the Duano tribe, which has about 77 families left, is very concerning, as their livelihood becomes increasingly exposed to the climate crisis. Their daily activities, which rely on sea catches, face increasing risks due to unpredictable weather patterns. Amrizal did not understand this unpredictable weather. He kept questioning what could have happened in the past years that led to this. Duano’s local wisdom has become futile in navigating the current maritime weather. “The sea weather has become irregular. We used to be able to predict the signs of strong wind and big waves easily,” Amrizal explained. In the past, the eastern coast of Jambi was promising for the fishermen and had plentiful catches, from fish, crabs, clams, to prawns. “Currently, it has become more difficult with the changing fishing cycle,” Ninggal said. Climate Crisis, Social Inequality and Human Rights IssuesMore and more Duano fishermen are going further and further out to sea. Meanwhile, the resources to go to the high seas are inadequate. Currently, they face higher operational costs due to the rising price of fuel oil. Asri Tara, a traditional leader of the Duano Tribe in Kampung Laut, East Tanjung Jabung, Jambi. Asri Tara, an elder of the Duano tribe, said that most of the tribe do not have boats to go to sea. Of the 77 families of the Duano tribe who live in Tanjung Solok, only nine per cent own ships or boats. The rest became workers for financiers who own ships with a profit-sharing system. Climate change also has cultural implications. For instance, the way of life of looking for Sumbun shells is slowly being abandoned by Duano fishermen. In the past, this activity was closely related to the tribe, but now due to rising sea levels, the shoals, which are the habitat of Sumbun clams, are sinking.Women’s fishermen groups are also slowly disappearing. They do many activities on land now. Mak Ijah, for instance, has stopped going to sea. She is now busy selling snacks at home. "Sometimes I work as a fish splitter," Mak Ijah said. Notably, the climate crisis has brought this group of fishermen to the brink of poverty. Meanwhile, the local government has not developed mitigation plans for the climate crisis.In general, the socioeconomic level of the Duano tribe in Tanjung Solok is low. "The highest [educational level] is junior high school, and some may become high school graduates but none continues to college," said Asri. "Because of limited funds, how do you educate your children," continued Asri Tara.Social inequality, said Asri Tara, is made worse because those who occupy the Tanjung Solok area until now do not have land rights. The houses they live in are built on other people's land. The government has no provided no solutions regarding the status of their current residence."We don't have a boat, and our land is still occupied. We hope that there will be boat assistance for us to go to sea independently and a solution to our housing so that our lives are better," said Amrizal.During the District Development Plan Meeting (Musrenbang) in the Pola Room of the Regent's Office in 2017, East Tanjung Jabung Regent Romi Haryanto admitted that Kuala Jambi was one of the pockets that contributed to the lowest standard of living in the eastern coastal district of Jambi. Amrizal, a fisherman from the Duano tribe, moves sea products to be sold to the Tauke (boss in local language) in Kampung Laut, East Tanjung Jabung, Jambi, Thursday (9/12/2022). Duano fishermen are now facing the threat of climate crisis and economic inequality. The life of the Duano tribe fishermen does not seem to have moved out of the poverty line, which is reflected in the statistical graph of the local office.The head of the East Tanjung Jabung Regency Fisheries Service, Hendri, did not deny that Kuala Jambi, where there is a Duano tribe village, is one of the poverty areas . He added that the empowerment and the institutionalisation of fishermen are challenging.Jambi University Human Rights and Development Studies Centre Coordinator Doni Yusra said that the state is constitutionally responsible for the economic well-being of its citizens, including ethnic minorities whose average income is below the poverty line.These economic, social and cultural (ESC) aspects are enshrined in international and regional human rights instruments as fundamental rights that must be protected. The state is obliged to protect them.Human rights, said Doni, is attached to human welfare issues that must concern all parties. In addition, human rights, according to him, are not merely about legal norms and instruments. "Human rights are also part of welfare, which fundamentally is the right to live," said Doni. "I think only political will can fulfil the rights of our indigenous peoples. The government must guarantee how their lives should be," said Doni.Doni continued that the community cannot be treated the same way as the general public. According to Doni, indigenous peoples are unique, so the policy approach must be special."Many indigenous people are marginalised. With climate crisis and exploitation of natural resources, their lives are further marginalised," said Doni. Maritime Nation IronyMaritime country is the nickname of our nation. That's why since childhood, Indonesians have been familiar with the song: “My ancestors were sailors.” Every September 23, Indonesia celebrates National Maritime Day.Susan Herawati was dismayed when she saw the conditions of fishing villages in various regions. The Secretary General of the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara) - a non-profit organisation focusing on marine and fisheries issues - found multiple burdens fishermen face due to the climate crisis."The impact of the climate crisis is extraordinary, and fishermen are among the most vulnerable," said Susan.Based on data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Indonesia has a coastline of 95,181 km - the second longest coastline in the world. The sea area reaches 5.8 million square kilometres or 71 per cent of the entire territory of Indonesia.But fishing villages have become areas of poverty. The number of fishermen in fishing households is also shrinking, In 2010, the number of fishermen was recorded at 2.16 million people, based on the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)’s Marine and Coastal Resources statistics. By 2019, this number reached 1.83 million people, a fall of 330,000. Fishery households in East Tanjung Jabung Regency show a similar trend. Statistical data shows that fishery households doubled before declining drastically in the last two years.The climate crisis that changes the knowledge patterns of fishermen and makes sea catches increasingly reduced has caused severe poverty, said Susan. Moreover, the state has responded with inappropriate policies."Government support is still very minimal regarding this climate crisis. And, the state does not have the right scheme or pattern of empowerment," said Susan.On the other hand, Susan said, the empowerment programme that occurs is not what fishermen need. Fishermen empowerment has become a state mandate enshrined in Law No. 7 of 2016 concerning Fishermen Protection and Empowerment."The protection of fishermen is not only insurance, but when fishermen cannot go to sea, the government must provide other alternative economic facilities. Fishermen have never obtained this," said Susan."And the worst thing is that the state has no policy in mitigating the climate crisis that fishermen face," continued Susan.Life in the fishery is indeed full of risks. Every year there is news about fishermen who are swallowed by the sea, or their ships are destroyed and shipwrecked by storms.Amrizal is well aware of this. But amid uncertainty and climate crisis, he will continue to go to sea. This is because he is the backbone of his children and wife. "If we don't go to sea, what will we eat," said Amrizal.

Sudung - a tarpaulin hut without walls that houses several members of the Orang Rimba group stands under an oil palm plantation on the edge of the road in Hajran Village, Batin XXIV District, Batanghari Regency, Jambi. The roar of tronton trucks carrying coal across the dusty road has become a daily sight.Not far from the road stood a man carrying a toddler Orang Rimba woman, shabby and whining. Occasionally her nose runs and her cough refuses to stop. The coal and dust of the road could not be repelled by their shelter without walls."Our house used to be here (in the forest), but now we have to live in the company's plantation. Our forest has been destroyed by oil palm plantations and coal mines," said 54-year-old Tumenggung Ngalembo, teary-eyed, describing the current condition of their living space. Tumenggung is the name given to the traditional leader of the Orang Rimba group.Orang Rimba is a semi-nomadic indigenous people in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. They used to live in the forest in groups with each other. Each group was led by a tumenggung (traditional leader). Most of them hold beliefs in gods and ancestral spirits.The Orang Rimba used to carry out traditional practices, such as hunting in the forest and collecting foodstuffs of tubers, medicinal herbs, and fruits. The most recognizable tradition dThe Orang Rimba used to carry out traditional practices, such as hunting in the forest and gathering foodstuffs of tubers, medicinal herbs, and fruits. The most recognizable tradition of this community is melangun - a tradition of moving to a distant place to forget the sadness of losing a relative.However, since the last decade, the existence of the Orang Rimba, including the Tumenggung Ngalembo group, has been continuously eroded by corporations and extractive industries that have exploited forests for mining, oil palm plantations, and industrial monoculture crops. Customary traditions and rites are slowly fading away due to deforestation.In addition, their living space continues to narrow due to the expansion of extractive industries and various other development projects that do not favor indigenous peoples.Tumenggung Ngalembo has long been a witness to forest exploitation. The faces of his group members are gloomy when they see the jungles being cut down and the earth dredged. Heavy bulldozers roared in and out of the forest. Now in the absence of the jungle, they survive amidst uncertainty. Their daily activities to find food and livelihood are increasingly difficult. The loss of forest has further exacerbated their socio-economic problems."In the past, all sources of materials were available in the forest. Now it's getting harder to find game," Ngalembo said.Structural InequalityThe development and investment coming into Jambi Province is inversely proportional to the level of welfare of indigenous peoples. Indigenous communities such as the Orang Rimba who rely on forest resources must bear the burden when development comes around them.Their resource assets are easily destroyed and converted. Now the Orang Rimba live without the jungle. The loss of forest has changed their lives.The latest survey conducted by KKI Warsi - a non-profit organization that focuses on conservation and empowerment of indigenous peoples - recorded that the population of Orang Rimba reached 5,200 people. This number is spread across several districts in Jambi Province.In Jambi Province, the Orang Rimba are organized into groups. Each population of jungle people always has a group of children, one mother has an average of more than five children.Now the massive conversion of forests into oil palm plantations has made it increasingly difficult for Orang Rimba groups to find food sources. The remaining forest area in Jambi is 900 thousand hectares or 17 percent of the total area of this province.The decreasing forest area has also displaced the Orang Rimba. Orang Rimba still has difficulty accessing access to health and is overshadowed by poverty.According to KKI Warsi Senior Advisor Rudisyaf, of the total Orang Rimba population, around 99 percent live in poor conditions. Apart from living around forest areas, the Orang Rimba also live semi-nomadically along the central Sumatra crossing road in Jambi.“Whether you want to use any measure or parameter, Orang Rimba is the poorest group of people,” said Rudi.Apart from poverty, the Orang Rimba group also has an unhealthy lifestyle. Not infrequently during difficult seasons, Orang Rimba children consume palm fruit and unhealthy food.For the short term and very urgent, especially for Orang Rimba who are experiencing malnutrition and illness, Rudi said, the government must immediately take emergency action. Provision of food, additional nutrition and immunization must be done immediately."The children of the jungle people have the right to be healthy, so if we look at these conditions, it is very necessary to have a health budget specifically for the jungle people group," Rudi said.Missing the State's AttentionAmidst the crush of industrial expansion policies, with unclear legal status. The lack of access to education, health services, and the absence of certainty of customary territories has made the Orang Rimba increasingly marginalized socially, economically, and politically. In this condition, they continue to survive with all limitations, often escaping the attention of the state and the public.Academician who once served as Coordinator of the Center for Human Rights and Development Studies at Jambi University, Doni Yusra, said that the state is constitutionally responsible for the economic rights of its citizens, including ethnic minorities whose average life is below the poverty line.“What happened in their area (Orang Rimba) was given a permit for oil palm plantations, so what happened was that they would clash with the company,” said Doni.In the aspect of economic, social and cultural rights (Ecosob), he said, it has been recognized as protected by international and regional human rights instruments. The state is obliged to fulfill every right of its citizens.Human rights, said Doni, are attached to human welfare issues that must be the concern of all parties. In addition, human rights, according to him, are not merely about legal norms and instruments. Orang Rimba is an isolated community that builds its life in the forest area. What Tumenggung Ngalembo's group experienced is part of a small screw of how Orang Rimba in Jambi Province still lives in uncertainty.Government support to bring them out of the economic squeeze is still very minimal. Orang Rimba - a minority community - still finds it difficult to adapt to the massive development and investment that is not in their favor. Until now, they continue to think for themselves and work out how to make a living for their future generations.

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Gresi Plasmanto

Duano Tribal Fishermen in Anguish Due to Climate Crisis

Development Inequality and Investment Undermine the Lives of Indigenous Orang Rimba Communities