Seri, including the dusun head. The representatives have an important function in channeling
the people’s ideas to the village government. At the moment, only two representatives are
still active, the others retired. They have not yet been replaced. Originally, they were traditional
authorities and were appointed by the dusun head. Supposedly, the fact that no wages are
paid makes it hard to find replacements.
The dusun government of Seri itself consists of the dusun head and his secretary. They are
assisted by a head of RT (neighborhood group) in Karang Tagepe. According to the new
government structure, the dusun head is appointed by the village headman of Urimesing.
The appointment is acknowledged through a decree at the sub-district level (on behalf of the
mayor of the Ambon municipality). Government decisions are communicated to the people
by an elected marinyo (lit. messenger).
For the last 10 years, the dusun head of Seri has been H. Wattimena, 72 years of age. He is a
highly respected and a legitimate leader, although some feel he is not strong enough and,
therefore, have more faith in the remaining adat leaders. Wattimena’s authority is based on
his descent and position in the government, but also on his intellect. He is a schoolteacher
who stresses the importance of education, hard work, honesty and discipline.
The dusun head is responsible for the development of the dusun. The annual dusun development
proposal is first tabled at a meeting of the Urimesing LMD. From there, the proposal is sent to
the Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of the Ambon Municipality for approval.
The development programs are based on the needs of the people. The villagers, however, like
to see results before they adopt a new innovation. To motivate his people, the dusun head
personally demonstrates projects, e.g., a vegetable yard and silver carp pond. Because of his
concern, the people have confidence in him.
Since Seri lost its central position in the desa of Urimesing, the people in Seri feel marginalized.
Many government programs and social activities are now focused on Kusu-kusu. Besides, they
do not feel that the government of Urimesing is legitimate. The current leaders (Tuhumury,
Gasperz, DeFretes and Gomies) are not from the traditional raja clan. The Seri villagers have
more confidence in traditional leaders because the new elected leaders “are more concerned
about money than about the people.” In some cases, for example, non-raja leaders have sold
adat lands to get extra income. The raja clan on the other hand, possesses both adat lands and
family gardens in the forest. Therefore, they do not worry about their income and can concentrate
on the peoples’ needs. Besides, people believe that the descendants of the raja clan can talk to
the dead ancestors and that they have supernatural powers to govern the village.
As a result of their discontent, the Seri villagers decided to become an independent village. In
1997, a proposal to change the status of Seri from a dusun to that of a desa was accepted by the
Urimesing LMD and enforced by a decree (No. 141.2/1391/1997). The process was accelerated
by a dusun meeting in which representatives from all clans agreed to nominate one single
candidate for the next elections for the village head of Urimesing: someone from the raja
(Wattimena) clan. This will increase the chance of winning the election. Once a person from
Seri is the new village head, he can change Seri’s status from a dusun to that of a desa with an
autonomous village government.
The dusun head explained that people in Seri hold to the principle of Tiga Batu Tungku (the
three stones of a fireplace), in this case, the village government, the church, and the teachers3 .
3 In sasi villages, the three stones are usually the village government, the church and adat.
Dusun Seri, Desa Urimesing, Ambon Island 181