12. Discussion of village issues
Discussion of issues is significantly declining compared to the past and further decline was expected.
This was blamed on the village head and the loss of customs, possibly due to political stress.
13. Community harmony
Community harmony has also declined significantly compared to the past and further
deterioration is expected. Conflicts are caused due to drinking and problems over land and
cloves. However, the main problem is the political situation in the village and harmony
depends a great extent on the village head. Some hoped that education would make people
more aware and would lessen the conflicts in the village.
13.8.4 Biological sustainability
14. Fish catches
The fishers in our sample perceived a serious decline in their individual fish catches of 34%.
They expect a further decline of 16% in future. The main causes for declining fish catches are
the use of modern gears, increased fishing efforts, but especially blast fishing.
15. State of the marine environment
The general decline in the condition of marine resources over the past 15 years is 32%, while Hulaliu
fishers expect resources to decline another 22% in the future. The use of destructive fishing techniques
and other human activities have an impact on the state of the resource (see Section 13.1).
13.9 Synthesis
When the new village structure was introduced in Hulaliu, the adat and the formal village
structure merged. It is not clear to what extent the traditional authorities still play a role
related to their traditional position, especially when it comes to decision-making, rule
development and enforcement. The situation is obscured by the fact that the village is under
political stress, which affects the functionality of the village government and centralized the
decision-making processes. The key figure on the scene is the new village head. His election
was controversial and he won with only a small majority. The opposition has a strong position
in the village and formed a contra group. What exactly happened is not clear. According to
adat, the position of Noija as a village head is legitimate, but ever since he became elected, his
position has been unstable.
The fragile position of the village head undermined the PKK women’s group, which has been
dysfunctional since the elections, but the political division also influences membership of
other village organizations. Communal activities have declined and conflicts have increased.
The resources are declining as a result of blast fishing directed as a sign of protest and to
stress the inability of the village government to enforce the rules. However, despite these
problems, or maybe in an attempt to solve them, the current village head started the process
of revitalizing sasi.
Desa Hulaliu, Haruku Island 175