Daily Archives: 7 February 2012

Distribution of districts in Merauke Region as source of reports in SORAK, August-December 2011. Figures in red circle is number of reports came from each district.

General Overview. We have smoothly passed five months since our first issues (Number 1) in August 2011 until the last one (Number 5) in December 2011. During that period, we have received 166 news reports and 38 comments or opinion letters. All of them came from 16 districts, so, remaining only 4 of 20 districts throughout Merauke Regency where we have not received any reports –i.e. 2 districts in the westernmost side (Waan and Tabonji in Kimaam Island), 1 district in northern interior (Ngguti), and 1 district in middle-north (Jagebob). Although major number (28) of reports still came for nearest district, i.e. Merauke Town, however, almost equal number (respectively 23) were also came from two more distant and ‘hotspots’ districts –i.e. Okaba in the middle-south and Elikobel in the northeast near the borderline with PNG– where problems of land disputes and social unrest now is frequently happening. Number of reports from other districts is quite equally distributed. All of the reports also came from more villages, totally reach 42 or one-fourth of 168 villages all over the regency (see above map).
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It is means that more villagers were actively using SORAK as their medium to present their daily life problems. Almost of contact-persons in the villages told us that SORAK now become one of the most likely items which are waited for every month by local villagers. Father Hendrikus Kariwop MSC, Chairman of Catholics Educations and Schools Foundation (Yayasan Pendidikan & Persekolahan Katolik, YPPK) who is managing hundreds of schools throughout the regency, told us that more teachers in the remote interior have asked the Foundation to subscribe and distributing SORAK for them. Some of local government offices both at regency and district levels have also stated out their similar intention. Unfortunately, we are still not able to effectively reaching out two distant regencies in the north hinterland, i.e Mappi and Boven Digul. Matthias Kaenon, Headmaster of Public Vocational High School (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Negeri, SMKN) of Mindiptana District in Boven Digul, have told us that is just because of bad condition of telephone connection and surface transportation in the area while, at the same time, still not easy to find reliable couriers for sending written reports to Merauke Town (more than 400 kilometers to the south with bad condition of roads and public transportation facilities). Good things, just to show his enthusiastic support, Mr. Kaenon was immediately gave his personal contribution (IDR 50,000 or USD 5.5) to SORAK…. Thanks, borther!

The Issues. According to International Covenant of ECOSOC Rights, we have grouped all of the reports’ content into more than 10 categories. Since each report usually consists of several related issues, total number of reports by categories is more than number of the reports themselves, up to 260 (see graphs in the left). Until last December 2011, major issues have been reported (51 reports 0r 19,62%) is perennial problem of bad public services by local government such as ‘red-tape bureaucracy’ practices, low discipline and working ethics of civil servants, corruption, slowing or even blocked flows of information, empty promises, and soon. This is a clear indication that issue of ‘inefficiency and inertia of bureaucracy’ is a real thing, not merely a ‘rumour’ or just a ‘popular grievance’. Next major issue (46 reports, 17,70%) is bad infrastructures, especially network of inter-village and inter-districts roads, village school buildings, and public health facilities. Then, issue of education (34 reports, 13.08%), especially on bad and mis-management of both public and private schools, and absenteism of teachers. The fourth major issue is worsting conditions of daily livelihood (32 reports, 12.31%) such as low prices of local agricultural products, more expensive daily items, and soon.

In-line with increasing massive expansion of big companies to cut down forests and grabbing customary lands of local communities, issue of land disputes and conflicts as well as ecological destruction have increasing (21 reports, 8.08%). Similar with the issue of loosing traditional sources and decreasing productive capacity and diversity of local foods (19 reports, 7,31%). Although total number of these two issues is fewer than the previous four (public services, infrastructure, education, and livelihood), however, the trend is constantly increased every month. For instance, there are only 2 reports on the issue of land and environment in August 2011, then, up to 7 reports in December 2011. Even there is no report at all on food issues in August 2011, then, came up 9 reports in December 2011. Regarding the content, all of the reports on these two issues always related to the presence of big companies in the area as part of MIFEE scheme. In other words, we can say that ambitious megaproject of MIFEE (was offically planned to appropriate and convert more than 2 million hectares of land and forest) is obviously not primarily for the benefits of local communities.

The Dispatch. Almost all of the reports have sent to us through couriers and common postal services. We have realized that, after five months since its installation in August 2011, our virtual monitoring devices is still not optimally functioning. Of 166 reports and 38 letters, very few (8 reports, only 3.9%) have sent via SMS. Through interviews with some of our local readers and reporters, we have found, at least, two main reasons: [1] especially in the interior part, quality of cellular phone connection is not available or, if any, still frequently facing a lot of technical troubles such as sudden disconnection, blank spots, and unclear transmission; and [2] common assumption among the villagers that to send SMS of 50-100 words will consume a lot of their handphone’s pre-paid vouchers. Regarding the first problem, of course, we can not do anythings. The challenge is the second one: how to find a workable solution which is expenses of sending SMS wouldn’t charged on the local reportes but directly on our own telephone bills in Merauke? We just started to think about a possible cooperation with public telecom authority (TELKOMSEL) through their CSR scheme.

Our Citizen Reporters. Until last December 2011, total number of our local citizen reporters have reached 81 persons. The number is smaller than total number of reports they have sent. This is because of many of them usually not sent just a single time report while almost of each report also not consists one single issue or theme. However, in-line with our expectation, almost of them (55 persons, 67,90%) are ordinary citizens living in the villages (farmers, fisherfolks, traditional artisans, small traders, and housewives). Then, church workers (12 persons, 14,82%) such as priests of local parishes or members of village church committees. There are few local village officials (9 persons, 11,11%) and civil servants (5 perons, 6,17%) such as local school teachers and extension workers (see below graph). This composition is another good sign that SORAK have relatively well-functioning as an open and trusted medium for discussion, information exchange, and popular civic education among important parties in daily life of local communities. Unfortunately, we have still facing ‘classic’ problem too, it is the fact the almost all (75 persons, 92.59%) are men and the rest (only 6 persons, 7.41%) are women (see below graph). In fact, in the last three monts (October-December 2011), no reports at all from the women. This is a serious challenge not only for us but also for the whole system of our present society.