One of the key features of sasi in Haruku is its emphasis on equity. Catches of lompa fish and
other pelagic fish, both from river sasi and sea sasi, are shared among the village population.
The derivation of direct benefits promotes social harmony. This stands in contrast to the
situation in some other villages where the routing of harvest profits through the village
government for “village development” or the sale of sasi harvest rights to outsiders are often
resented by the common villagers.
Under the local management system that affords protection to juvenile fish and prohibits
overly-efficient harvesting, lompa harvests in Haruku appear to have the potential for
biologically sustainability. However, because the species under management is pelagic fish
and thus may be intercepted outside of the protected area, this sustainability is very vulnerable.
Local management can only hope to ensure stock health if the fishery is restricted to community
waters. In fact, most lompa and other pelagic fish are caught by offshore lift nets where the
profit-sharing system and minimal crew wages promote intensification of fishing efforts.
Sasi in Haruku is undoubtedly efficient in that it is carried out with a minimum of expense
and compliance to rules is high because of the legitimacy of the kewang.
Currently, however, this strong sasi system is undermined by political instability, conflicts
between the village head and the kewang and environmental degradation due to mining
activities on the village territory. Property rights issues and access to land resources are subject
to conflicts. Whereas some people welcome the potential employment and economic activity
from mining, others fear the loss of their land and livelihood. If a planned resettlement scheme
is realized, the village of Haruku, together with its distinct sasi institution, will be consigned
to history.
Even in the exploratory phase, the ecological impacts of the mining activities on the
environment are manifest: downstream sedimentation pollutes the river estuary and covers
the corals and thus forms a direct threat to the lompa fishery. Interviews conducted by Yayasan
Hualopu in 1997 show that, even though they do not fully comprehend the potential
destructive effects of mining operations in the future, the villagers are concerned about these
environmental impacts. The possibility for villagers to defend their interests, however, is
limited by the centralized village structure that effectively excludes them from the decision-
making process.
At the moment, the village head is trying to restructure the LMD into a functional village government.
His strategy to get support and to become a more legitimate leader is to base his actions on adat
structures. He also concentrates on “politically correct” issues such as the involvement of women in
the village government. In the meantime, however, the village is at an impasse.
Strict application of the sasi rules and the education of young children through their
involvement in environmental management are the two building stones of sasi in Haruku.
The village leader was optimistic and felt that sasi would be continued because “it is a
traditional thing and Haruku has a kewang, which makes it stable”. The authority and
responsibilities of the kewang, however, have never been formalized and now that the influence
of formal authorities, like the police, is becoming more prominent, acknowledgment is
imperative. The relationship between the village head and the kewang is decisive for the
stability of sasi. Only under a functioning village government and through collaboration with
the adat leaders, church and kewang, can village resources be protected.
140 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia