Musyawarah 2008
Report on the Annual Besi Pa'e Musyawarah at the Gereja Gmit Mio, Monday, 9th June 2008
This musyawarah was attended by 48 farmers from 15 kelompok tani, and 7 teachers from 7 schools. These people represented participants in NTA programs in desa Mio and desa Eno Neten, the location commonly known as Besi Pa'e. The Australian Livestock Project was staged in Besi Pa'e from 1982 to 1987, and one goal of the NTA in working there has been to continue the Australian tradition of local cooperation.
The NTA team included Colin Barlow and Ria Gondowarsito from NTA Australia, Andreas Nuwa, Ruth Radja, and Niander Beeh from NTA Kupang, and the local NTA extension officers Bapak Pdt Adrianus Mooy and Johanis Puay. Bapak Frans Wayan, chief librarian at Unica and NTA library trainer, was also present. Bapak Pdt. Mesach D. Beeh, lecturer in sociology at Unkris and head of the Yayasan Pengembangan Masyarakat Pulau Semau, came as an invited guest facilitator, and was accompanied by Adam Ngefak. Pak Boy, an officer from CU Samamora, was another participant in the musyawarah. The event was chaired by Bapak Pdt. Mooy.
Talk on Rural Credit
The first item of the musyawarah was a talk by Pak Andreas Nuwa about facilities offered by the Samamora Credit Union, So'e, of which he is the head. This CU has 600 members, including 400 farmers, most of whom use credit to fund their businesses.
Pak Andre sketched the four separate situations of bantuan gratis, dana bergulir (as now practiced by the NTA in Besi Pa'e), credit provision by CUs, and credit provision by Banks. These situations may also be seen as phases in a transition from pure subsidies to conditions of commercial viability. The fourth situation had already been reached by orang Bugis and orang Cina, who worked hard and imaginatively, rising at 4am not 8am, and attending to their businesses rather than getting up only to chew betel nut.
The CU Samamora provided loans at 1.5% per month, and these were used to buy and sell asem, to fund purchases of sapi penggemukan and other animals, and to assist other productive enterprises. It would be relatively easy for members of NTA kelompok to borrow money from the CU, and the requirements of collateral were less rigorous than those of the banks.
Following an initial three months with a deposit of Rp500.000, new members of the CU would be able to borrow up to twice the value of their deposits. As time passed and a succession of loans were acquitted satisfactorarily, borrowers could secure up to two, then three, times the values of their deposits. Non-saham accounts were also available, and paid interest to depositors of 12 per cent per year. The families of people with deposits in CUs could additionally access aliwaris payments on the death of a depositor, with a sum equal to the value of the deposit being paid to certified beneficiaries.
Most rural people wishing to access credit found it hard and usually impossible to deal with banks, which required extensive prior data and detailed letters of recommendation. It was difficult for an ordinary farmer to approach such institutions, and in practice bank loans outside urban areas were minimal. But as already indicated, bank services could be viewed as a final phase in a process. Hence those who had dealt with credit unions over many years could later get to a position where they could avail themselves of bank loans.
During the subsequent question and answer session, around 50 participants from the NTA kelompok tani expressed interest in becoming members of the CU Samamora. This could materially assist the progress of their productive enterprises, and Pak Boy would return later in the month to carry the matter forward.
Library Training & Library Facilities
Meanwhile, and for most of the musyawarah, Pak Frans Wayan gave training in library management to the 7 teachers in a separate room. The two teachers from SMP Kobekaka and SD Oiayo were attending for the first time, and were given special manuals prepared for the course. The focus of training on this occasion was on book borrowing, which was seen as basic in stimulating reading and consequently improving academic performances.
Pak Frans stated that the fact that students only had four and a half hours at school meant there was a lot more time in the day for reading, should people choose to do this. But he noted that encouraging borrowing must be combined with providing enough books, and that all too often there were only 40-50 story books which hadl been read several times by keen students. This sphere of building up libraries was one where the NTA also had an important role.
Compared with the situation in kabupaten Sikka where the NTA had sponsored library training and facilities for over four years, there was far to go in Besi Pa'e. The library program here had only proceeded 12 months. One key need were places to put books, and here Pak Frans felt that special racks would be the best avenue. These were preferable to the cupboards often favoured by teachers since they felt that books could not then be stolen. But racks lent themselves to a much more open borrowing system. Perhaps the NTA could support sets of racks for all seven schools in Besi Pa'e.
General Report & Remarks
Colin Barlow gave a short talk, emphasizing the long-term commitment of the NTA to relieving poverty at Besi Pa'e, and to doing this through helping with productive enterprises, small infrastructures, and education. He stressed the importance of self-help, and mentioned difficulties which sometimes occurring with the proper acquittal or dana bergulir or rotating credit.
Thus while the NTA was happy to assist kelompok that participated actively in its programs and acquitted dana bergulir according to schedule, it was less pleased where returns of credit were incomplete. People in Australia who gave money to the NTA were certainly not satisfied if their contributions did not achieve the planned results, and would not be prepared to continue giving financial support.
In light of Colin's comments, Pak Mooy asked the audience whether it was ready to respond fully and responsibly to NTA initiatives. The answer was a shouted setuju, which seemed to indicate that those present intended to do their best.
Pak Mooy then reported on the overall program of NTA support in 2007/8, summarizing the assistance given to each kelompok and school, the numbers of people involved, the experience with outcomes and the results achieved. He indicated that while broad responses had been excellent, there had sometimes been difficulties with fully acquitting dana bergulir. These difficulties needed to be addressed, with full acquittals and a passing on of credit to other recipients according to planned schedules.
There had also been problems with animal sickness, and it would be good if training could be provided in poultry, pig and goat healthcare. There was no local mantri hewan or livestock treatment officer, and representations should also be made to the authorities about this.
Address by Pak Mes
Pak Mes asked the audience to comment on an important question relevant to their situation. Why were people at Besi Pa'e poor? This question was linked to the further issue of how conditions could be improved. The audience was asked to think about the latter, but not to respond immediately.
10 men and women gave immediate reasons for their poverty, with each having obviously given thought to this. The answers included 'do not want to work', 'placed in this condition by God', 'insufficient education', 'not enough time', 'being lazy', and 'need to have time to sleep and eat'. Each response attracted interested attention, clapping and sometimes further comments, and the session helped in concentrating peoples' interest in the musyawarah.
Proposed Activities in the Next Cycle
All kelompok and schools retired into their own groups for 30 minutes, so as to discuss activity proposals to the NTA for the next cycle, June-November 2008. Each kelompok and school decided on their first and second priority, entering this on a special form.
An appointed representative from each kelompok and school then presented the group's proposals, also outlining outputs and outcomes from supported activities in 2006 and 2007. Difficulties with previous activities were summarized, including such aspects as problems of animal disease, lack of water to support irrigation schemes, problems due to shortages of teaching staff, etc. These difficulties were noted by NTA representatives, so they could follow them up.
Sometimes performances and proposals were questioned by members of the audience, especially where constraints had occurred with acquitting dana bergulir. Pak Mooy indicated that until these cases had been cleared up, the kelompok concerned would not be eligible for further support. The proposals of the groups were afterwards summarized in one set of sheets, so they could be considered by the NTA.
Final Comment
The 2008 musyawarah may be judged the most successful of 12 such meetings since the NTA first entered Besi Pa'e in 1996. Most present on this occasion participated actively in the event, and there was an air of enthusiasm and attentiveness not sensed previously. The people of this place are by far the poorest of any served by the NTA in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, and it has taken them far longer than beneficiaries elsewhere to realize the potentials of cooperation. Past activities have been slow in getting off the ground, and people have had difficulty in understanding effective modes of cooperation. There is still far to go, but at long last the prospects of advance seem much stronger.
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