At the annual meeting, the local program is drafted. The meeting is attended by members and
other invitees, e.g., the minister, government officials, village elders, etc. The executive presents
a proposal and the members can express their ideas. As long as the ideas are constructive, they
will be considered further. If not, the idea will be rejected and the member who proposes it will
be told the reason. When members do not agree with a proposed program from the higher
level, it is discussed in an open forum without the presence of the section heads responsible for
that program. Through this mechanism, it is assumed that members can freely discuss any
program. When a decision cannot be reached by consensus, a vote is conducted.
Every two years, the local executive has to report to the members regarding the implementation
of the programs and use of funds. When members reject a report, the board has to defend itself. In
theory, the board or sections that are responsible for a program in question may have to resign in
order to restore the members’ confidence in the organization. This, however, has never occurred.
4.6.4 Pelpri
No information is available on this men’s group of the church.
4.7 Adat Organizations
The remaining adat organization found in some villages is the kewang, which enforces sasi
regulations. In only one case (Haruku) has a kewang spun off a youth organization (mini-
kewang). The kewang structure and function are discussed together with the description of the
sasi institution of individual villages (see Chapters 9-14).
In resource management under adat sasi, there is close collaboration among the Tiga Tungku
i.e., adat leaders, village government and religious leaders.
4.8 Social Organizations
4.8.1 Muhabet
The Muhabet groups in the villages coordinate communal action for house construction and
funerals2. For instance, on every last Friday of the month, the members of the Muhabet in Hutumuri
help to build or repair five houses. The house owners provide tea for the workers but construction
materials are provided by the other members of the group. The amount of money needed is
determined beforehand and the costs are divided evenly. Members who do not work are fined
Rp1,000-Rp2,500. Any member who is consistently delinquent is excluded from the organization.
During a funeral ceremony, the church elders perform the ritual, the church organizations
design the service and the Muhabet groups take care of the rest. Several groups in the village
take turns (on a monthly basis), and are responsible, for instance, for arranging the coffin and
grave, transportation to the burial site, food and beverages at the ceremony etc. Each group
has a coordinator and four workers. Work schedules are drawn up during the membership
meetings. Through this rotation system, the Muhabet group is always ready to act.
2 Holleman (1923) describes a similar custom of mutual help in the construction of houses and processing of sago
called Masohi.
44 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia