members. Each member has to pay back the amount borrowed to the government or to the
group’s treasury within a year. In some villages, the money is then made available to another
group, while in others (e.g., Toisapu), the money is put in the bank to serve as capital for
larger enterprises. Decisions are made in membership meetings.
The objective of the KEP is to improve the productivity of fishermen. In Hulaliu, for example,
a Rp3 million fund was divided amongst the members to buy boats or fishing gears. Some
was saved for operating capital. There are three officials and seven members who each received
Rp200,000 and training. Participants are the poor fishermen who cannot afford fishing gears.
The government chooses the members. The fishermen can decide among themselves how to
spend their money. Many people have not as yet participated in the fund. This was a pilot
program in 1997 with the prospect of involving more groups over the years to come.
Individual villages may have additional programs. For instance, Seri has an organization
called Young Rock (Karang Taruna) that was initiated by the dusun head as part of a program
of the Department of Social Services. Members, both Moslems and Christians, are involved
in a local program that includes sports, voluntary service, and apprenticeships in fisheries,
agriculture and animal husbandry. The group reports back to the provincial Social Service
office through the head of the dusun, village and district levels.
4.5 KUD
KUD stands for Kooperasi Unit Desa or village cooperative (see Figure 4.3). Village KUDs are
established according to a uniform structure designed by an Ambonese branch in the 1970s.
The KUD operates independently from the village government, but is under the supervision
of a head office in Ambon, which in turn operates below a national government department.
There are three types of KUD depending on their activities and level of autonomy, ranging
from those that are externally controlled to some that are totally self-supporting. The KUD’s
executive consists of a manager, a chair, a vice-chair, one or two secretaries and a treasurer.
Figure 4.3. (Photo) KUD at Haruku.
Village Level Socio-Political Context 41