An institutional analysis of sasi laut in Maluku, Indonesia

The decision-making process, according to the villagers, should be more transparent. On the
one hand, they trust the village government to take the right decisions for them, but awareness
and education, stimulated by NGOs working in the village, make people more independent
and responsible. If the interests of the fishers are not met, the process of revitalization may
face major obstructions, especially by those who are already not in favor of the village
government.

Epilogue

On 13^th December 1997, sasi on coconuts was opened. The harvest provided the people with
an income to celebrate Christmas. When sasi was closed again on 28^th December, sasi on marine
products was also announced and in January 1998, a kewang was installed and sasi was officially
effective.

However, when our research staff visited the village in August 1998, sasi had already faced
major challenges. Of the 33 kewang members who were installed, only 10 were left and willing
to continue their job. The reason for their resignation was, like before, the village head. In
February 1998, when sasi was still closed, the village head made an arrangement with fishers
from Ambon which allowed them to catch ornamental fish in the village marine territory. The
kewang, however, was not consulted and felt excluded. In March, parts of the sea were again
rented to outsiders. The village head wanted to share the Rp60,000/day he obtained with the
kewang, but the kewang refused. They argued that they only wanted to be involved in decision-
making, especially where it concerned the sale of harvest rights, because it was agreed upon
that no fishing was allowed. The kewang members explained that they could not carry out
their job if the village head himself ignored the regulations. By November 1998, a number of
kewang members resigned and/or were replaced. The head of the kewang decided to quit his
job and joined the contra group in the village. Another kewang head took his place.

After these problems, the villagers asked the village head to put sasi on coconuts again under
the authority of the church. The village head refused, or at least, did not immediately respond
to this request, and village support for sasi decreased. In the light of these developments, it
will be interesting to monitor the process to learn about the obstructions that cause sasi to be
functional and to identify the conditions under which it will be able to successfully manage
the resources.

Desa Hulaliu, Haruku Island 177

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