How far will you go to keep your hometown safe from environmental damage?
For Merah Johansyah, the answer is as far as Sabang and Merauke.
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Merah is thenational coordinator of the Mining Advocacy Networks (Jatam) who movesfrom town to town across Indonesia to manage the organization's events and activities to achieve a big dream:to stop mining and oil drilling operation from destroying the nature and peoples lives.
This organization was initiated by young people who want to save their hometown from the devastation caused by mining activities, Merah told Brilio in a conversation at Kedai Jatam in Mampang, Jakarta. I joined Jatam a few years ago, after mining companies came to my hometown in Samarinda and started to dredge for coals.
I came to Jakarta three months ago, to get back at mining companies for what they havedone, Merah said energetically. I just want to take revenge.
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Prior joining Jatam, Merah was just an ordinary university student who lived in Samarinda. He was enraged after seeing how much mining industrydamaged Samarinda's farming and and fishery industries. The industry, according to Merah, took local's land and also left hundreds of toxic coal pits where kids like to swim at, leaving them poisoned after.
With Jatam, Merah is protesting against the mining companies' operations not only in Samarinda, but other areas throughout the archipelago.
The organization also provides psychological treatment tho local residents who are affected by the mining industry both directly and indirectly.
Empowering the locals is one of Jatam's strategies. (Brilio/Retno Wulandari)
People, especially mothers (who lost their kids in the coal pits), are sad. They cant stop thinkingof their children. Losing a childis such a traumatic experience, but none of the state institutions ever sent a doctor or psychologist to accompany them, he said.
Jatam also works to empower local people to stop their dependency to the industry and show that they don't need to work for mining companies to make a living.They helped people to grow crops and sell the produce to other regions, including Indonesias major cities. In Jatams vision, people need to realize the potential of the land at hand, that they can become economically independent by cultivating their crops.
"We show them how dangerous the mining operation is, how it could destroy the nature and inflict conflicts. Together we teach them how to survive and be more independent, thus they dont have to depend their lives on the mining activities, said Merah.
Mining industry promises economic welfare to the people. We have to fight by strengthening people economically. We call it the endurance of society. When people are strong, they can protect and preserve their own lands from any kind of nuisances.
Agricultural products from Cihaur Village in Sukabumi, West Java. Helping farmers to distribute their products is one of Jatam's way to empower the locals (Brilio/Retno Wulandari)
Though Jatam and Merah have good intention, their fight is not easy.
"We have encountered many challenges along the way. On January 26, 2016, our office in East Kalimantan was attacked by a group of thugs," he said. "I had a man pointing a gun at me. It's (written) in my diary."