When the Bader Fish Eats Coconut Flowers

THE SCORCHING sun burned his nape as he walked along the rice fields towards a reservoir. With one hand carrying a hat, the man pointed to a side of the reservoir where his village, Guyuban, used to exist. Guyuban was one of the 37 hamlets that were flooded in order for the Kedung Ombo Reservoir mega project to succeed.

"Here is all of the villages (used to be), but now it's all water," said Djaswadi, aged 80.

Everyone in Kedungmulyo and Kedungrejo Hamlet in Kemusu District, Boyolali Regency knows who Djaswadi is, as the two hamlets came into existence because of his struggle 30 years ago.

Djaswadi's fingers are always trembling, the Javanese call it buyuten. His steps are small and hesitant, his stammering voice is weak. When he talks about his resistance to the construction of the Kedung Ombo Reservoir in the 1980s, his voice turns fiery.

"I was at war, Mas. At war!"

Jaswadi didn't particularly fight against the army sent by the Suharto government to build outposts in every sub-district in Kemusu for the purpose of the mega project. Instead, he stirred up unrest over the forced land acquisition by refusing to move out and accept compensation from the government he deemed inadequate to replace his ancestral land, Bumi Serang.

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Bumi Serang

Bumi Serang. That's what Jaswadi calls his ancestral land which now has been flooded by the water from the dammed Serang River and Uter River. Jaswadi believes that the people of Kedung Ombo are the descendants of Serang and Gagatan lineage because their village was where Nyi Ageng Serang and Tumenggung Prawirodigdoyo, two important figures involved in the Diponegoro War, were born.

Nyi Ageng Serang was born in the village of Serang, about 40 km north of Surakarta, as Raden Ajeng Kustiah Retno. She was the daughter of Panembahan Notoprojo, adipati of Kadilangu, and was still a descendant of Sunan Kalijaga.

Nyi Ageng Serang was a respected adviser during the Diponegoro War. She led the Lumbu Troop, a stealth troop that used lumbu (taro) leaves as camouflage. The troop's guerrilla areas included Serang, Purwodadi, Gundeh, Demak, Semarang, Kudus, Salatiga, Boyolali, Klaten, and Magelang.

Nyi Ageng Serang died in 1828 and was buried in Beku Hamlet, Banjarharjo Village, Kalibawang District, Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta Special Region. Some, however, believe that her grave is located somewhere in the area that is now the Kedung Ombo Reservoir. These people then constructed a floating grave for her in the middle of the reservoir, in Bulu Hamlet, Wonoharjo Village, Kemusu District.

Tumenggung Prawirodigdoyo, nephew of Nyi Ageng Serang, was the son of Surotaruno III, a demang of Gagatan, a small village on the banks of the Serang River. He was appointed as the regent of Pemajegan Gagatan by Pakubuwono IV, and later became the commander of the mancanegara brang wetan (The Eastern Salient of Java) region.

Together with Pakubuwono VI and Prince Diponegoro, Prawirodigdoyo made an oath of allegiance against the colonizers. Known as the "Atiroto Oath", the oath was sworn at Puthuk Gagatan, the banks of the Serang River that still exists today.

Before the construction of Kedung Ombo Reservoir started, the Ecology Institute of Padjadjaran University in Bandung conducted an archaeological research on the potential inundation area of the reservoir on the banks of the Serang and Uter Rivers. The researchers managed to discover 15 sites in total. Three of them are the Panepen Site, Pasarean Gedong Site, and the Daleman Site which were located in Lorog Village, Miri District, Sragen Regency.

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The Panepen Site was the location of the graves of Nyai Ageng Serang's family. On the west lay the tomb of Adipati Anom Mangkudiningrat, son-in-law of Nyi Ageng Serang, while in the middle was the grave of Prince Kusumo Wijoyo or Prince Serang, husband of Nyi Ageng Serang. On the east side, there was the tomb of RA Mirah Ayu Kusumo Wijoyo, daughter of Nyi Ageng Serang.

On the Pasarean Gedong site, there were the graves of Nyi Ageng Serang's parents. Her father's tomb was located on the west, while her mother was on the east. All of the tombs were situated inside a rectangular cupola, outside of which several graves of Nyi Ageng Serang's relatives were located.

Meanwhile, at the Daleman Site, there was a former building of Serang Duchy that is now part of the Sumberlawang District, Sragen Regency, while the other part is in the administrative area of Boyolali Regency.

According to a research published in Berita Penelitian Arkeologi  (Archaeological Research News) No. 31 of 1985, written evidence does state that Serang was the residence of the family of Prince Notoprojo, Nyi Ageng Serang's father.

Jaswadi often refers to Nyi Ageng Serang and Tumenggung Prawirodigdoyo as his "ancestors". He also calls every youth and child in Kedung Ombo as his children and grandchildren.

Jaswadi, however, is not a descendant of Nyi Ageng Serang.

According to Ngateno, the caretaker of the Nyi Ageng Serang's pesanggrahan (rest house), Jaswadi is the son of a Guyuban figure named Prawirorejo. Prawirorejo inherited land belonging to Mbah Lambiyo and Mbah Kremik, two Guyuban elders who were the servants of Nyi Ageng Serang.

"Since Mbah Lambiyo had no children, Mbah Jas' father, Mbah Prawirorejo, lived there (in pesanggrahan)," Ngateno explained.

The land left by Jaswadi's father is now occupied by Ngateno, who Jaswadi considers as his own grandson. Meanwhile, Ngateno's own house has perished under the vast reservoir. Ngateno is now in charge of tending Nyi Ageng Serang's pesanggrahan which is only about 20 meters from the reservoir.

<div class="flex-content-podcast"><figure class="img-left"><div><img src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/61af270884f7a0580d35618e/62d50374030b018e0d2d7bd6_Intersection-9.jpg" alt="img"></div><figcaption>The illustration of the war between the Netherlands and Indonesia in Magelang. (WikimediaCommons).</figcaption></figure><div class="img-right"><div class="podcast-container"><img alt="person" class="entered loaded" data-ll-status="loaded" src="https://assets-global.website-files.com/61af270884f7a0580d35618e/62d503793ee3872ab6cc8e2f_Intersection-10.jpg"><div class="audio-podcast"><audio controls controlsList="nodownload"><source src="https://d220hvstrn183r.cloudfront.net/premium/ketika-ikan-bader-memakan-bunga-kelapa/PODCAST_JASWADI.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">Your browser does not support the audio element.</audio></div></div><div class="caption"><span><b>Jaswadi</b><br>An elder in Kedungmulyo Hamlet (Andri Setiawan/Historia.ID)</span></div></div></div>

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A Savior

At his home in Kedungmulyo Hamlet, Jaswadi makes statues of the figures he considers his predecessors: Semar, Sunan Kalijaga, Prince Diponegoro, and Nyi Ageng Serang. Some of his other works are statues of a completely naked ancient human and a tiger.

Jaswadi's modest house is in the shape of the Javanese limas. Nothing hints the grandiose claim of his as a "savior", except a gapura (gate) that read "Dirga Rahayu, Hayu, Hayu, Hayu, Hening Bawono."

"When I was six years old, I didn't have teeth, Mas. I didn't have teeth, and all I did was cry. My friends and anyone else ate marning or fried corn, while I only ate lempeng made from cassava. It must be soaked first," he explained.

Jaswadi said he was born on 6 September 1922, thus making him a century old this 2022. When being asked about his date of birth on his KTP (identification card), he showed his MKGR (Musyawarah Kekeluargaan Gotong Royong) mass vanguard member card that was issued back in 1995. On its age column, Jaswadi was written as 53 in age, meaning that he was born in 1942.

Yet, when greeting an old man who looks around 80 years old and seems way older than Jaswadi himself, Jaswadi blurted, "I remember when he was still a child. Now he is old already." The old man Jaswadi referred to smiled back and nodded.

"I was already a teenager in 1942," said Jaswadi.

During the Japanese occupation, Jaswadi said that he was once asked to join the romusha. When the foremen finished their work, Jaswadi remembers they would shout “Yamete!”.

"The Japanese's teaching was to make caves," he added.

Jaswadi's house has two parts. Half of the front of the house is devoted as a living room where several statues are showcased. The walls are plastered with photos of Jaswadi with people from various backgrounds. The tables and chairs are arranged like in a meeting room in which 15 to 20 people can fit. Jaswadi said many people came to his house to discuss things from history, philosophy, to the latest political news. In fact, Jaswadi once ran as an independent candidate for Boyolali regent for the 2010-2015 period.

Jaswadi continued his story about how the Kedung Ombo tragedy had been predicted since the era of Nyi Ageng Serang and Prawirodigdoyo. “Mbesuk le, arep ono Geger Serang. Nek kali serang ki dibendung, kui gara-garane gedhe le (In the future, there will be unrest in Serang. If this Serang River is dammed, it can cause a great impact)," said Jaswadi, describing the teachings that were passed down by his ancestors about the future chaos caused by the dammed Serang River.

In 1981, Jaswadi heard about the government's plans to build the Kedung Ombo Reservoir. He was shocked that Bumi Serang, his ancestral land, would be flooded. Moreover, in Guyuban, his house that is said to be the inheritance of Nyi Ageng Serang's servant as well as the location of Nyi Ageng Serang's pesanggrahan, was included in the inundation area.

"Since 1981 I started guerrilla warfare against Suharto's government," said Jaswadi.

The land of a rich history, a prophecy, and a government project intertwined. The imminent clash also evoked the itch in Jaswadi to be a savior that would save the people of Bumi Serang.

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A Mega Project

The Kedung Ombo Reservoir is part of the Jratunseluna River Basin Development Project. Jratunseluna stands for the names of the rivers, namely Jragung, Tuntang, Serang, Lusi, and Juana. The project scope includes the karesidenan (residency) of Semarang, Pati, Surakarta, and the regencies of Semarang, Demak, Kudus, Pati, Blora, Grobogan, Jepara, Boyolali, and Sragen.

The Kedung Ombo mega project came from the government's intention of controlling floods and providing irrigation water and electricity for the industries and settlements in the northern region of Central Java. The reservoir is also expected to support the development of fisheries and tourism.

According to Stanley in Seputar Kedung Ombo, the Kedung Ombo Reservoir is estimated to be able to irrigate 60,000 ha of rice fields and provide 22.5 megawatt of electricity which will light up 59,000 homes with a 450 watt power supply for each house. The said benefit, Stanley explained, can last in accordance with the age of the dam, which is estimated to last for 150 years.

The dam construction project had actually been planned 20 years before the villages in Kedung Ombo started to sink. Surveys, investigations, and feasibility studies had been carried out since 1969 by the Water Resources Design Project (P3SA) with Netherlands Engineering Consultants (NEDECO). Meanwhile, the design has been worked on since 1976 by the Jratunseluna Project along with Snowy Mountain Engineering Corporation (SMEC) from Australia.

The Implementing Agency for the Jratunseluna River Basin Development Project was formed in 1976. In the beginning of 1981, the construction of the supporting infrastructure began. 

In September 1984, an auction was held for the main building which included the body of the dam as well as the spillway, electric-powered house, penstock and intake tower. PT Brantas Abipraya, a state-owned enterprise engaged in construction, was eventually entrusted with the project with Japanese contractor Hazama Gumi who was appointed directly by the World Bank, the project's funding source.

Through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the Kedung Ombo project received funding of more than 37 billion, while the Exim Bank of Japan contributed more than 22 billion. Furthermore, the funding that sourced from APBN was more than 23 billion. However, according to Stanley, the overall cost of construction was much more massive; a source even stated the total amount is approximately Rp 280 billion.

In 1982, news regarding the plan to build the dam started to spread among the Kedung Ombo residents whose lands were to be displaced. The official information from the government only came in 1985. Residents were asked to gather at the village halls to hear statements and plans for the forthcoming data collection.

Jaswadi opposed the construction plan, calling the project a "great enmity led by President Suharto". He was especially worried about the graves of Serang's ancestors that had to be drowned under the reservoir. An unbearably big sin.

"They're sinning against the spirits of the senopati (commanders), the kings of Serang," said Jaswadi.

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Building a Mythological Narrative

Jaswadi refused to move out of Guyuban. Instead, he propagated the most popular myth the people of Bumi Serang used to believe: iwak bader mangan manggar, the bader fish eats coconut flowers.

Circulating in Kedung Ombo, part of the Boyolali Regency, Jaswadi said that the myth came directly from the ancestors. The sinking of the villages in Bumi Serang has been predicted as Geger Serang (the Unrest in Serang). When the water level is getting higher because of the dammed river, the bader (javanese barb) fish that lives in the Serang River would swim higher and higher, and as the reservoir water reaches the coconut trees, the bader fish would eat manggar or the coconut flowers. The moment the bader fish eats the flowers, prosperity would come to everyone in Bumi Serang.

However, because the people were about to be displaced from the source of their promised prosperity, they fought back.

The resistance put up by Jaswadi and his followers was indeed unconventional. They shunned the idea of losing their ancestral land that has been passed down for hundreds of years, albeit the reservoir was the answer to the prophesied prosperity.

The key, ultimately, was compensation. When being offered compensation to replace the houses and land of the Kedung Ombo residents, the myth of "iwak bader mangan manggar" was employed to stage protests. The residents refused to move out of their village.

"When they collected the land ownership data, they didn't inform us anything about the size of the land, the number of buildings, or the vegetation. We were told nothing," said Jaswadi.

With no consideration over the residents' rights that have to be fulfilled, the compensation offered by the government was only Rp 200/m2, which clearly fell short of the people's expectation, and as a result, was blatantly rejected. They unanimously agreed not to move.

"Well, after I refused, the compensation was put as deposits in court," said Jaswadi.

The deposits were certainly rejected.

Jaswadi initially gave a power of attorney to the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) but it was soon withdrawn because his demand was considered unreasonable. As the compensation, Jaswadi asked for a land that commensurates his own which must be located on the bank of the reservoir.

“They considered my demand as unreasonable. They didn’t know my ancestors would bring this Bumi Serang back to me," said Jaswadi firmly.

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The Insurgents

On 23 July 1986, Jaswadi and his colleague, Yadi, reported the Nglanji subdistrict head, whose name was also Djaswadi, to the Central Java Regional Police for allegedly manipulating the compensation money. Less than a month later, instead of the suspect, it was Jaswadi who was arrested while he was sleeping at his house.

He was handcuffed, taken to the Kemusu Police Office, and interrogated by the staff of the sub-district office, the village head, and the local security force. That same night, Jaswadi was stripped and his thighs were burned by cigarettes many times. Jaswadi must suffer the punishment because he was deemed as the root of the unrest caused by his protests.

“I was stripped. I was handcuffed like this,” he recalled, demonstrating his hands being handcuffed from behind. 

Although he was later released, on 6 September 1986 Jaswadi was summoned to the Boyolali Police Office as a witness and was investigated from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon. Jaswadi had a heated argument with the investigators, to whom Jaswadi explained about Permendagri (Minister of Home Affairs Regulation) No. 15 of 1975 which states that compensation can be in the form of money, facility, or a land of commensurate, with the latter one being what Jaswadi and his friends demanded.

“Article 18 of the UUPA states that if there is any dispute in acquiring land that is urgently needed, the solution is to conduct a normal buying-selling transaction or an exchange of rights. That was our guideline," explained Jaswadi, referring to Law No. 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Regulations or familiarly known as the Basic Agrarian Law (UUPA).

Jaswadi was never summoned again afterwards. He also escaped the summons unlike those accused of being a member of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). The suspected PKI members had their KTP stamped “ET” or ex-tapol which means former political prisoner.

Jaswadi claimed that he used to be a cadre of the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and can still recall most of the occurrences after the G30S incident, especially the situation around his hamlet. During that time, the PKI people were stripped naked and paraded, while some were buried alive. Jaswadi even memorized the song “Blonjo Wurung” by Sujud, a Lekra artist from Salatiga. All those testimonies of his were probably what saved Jaswadi from being suspected as a member of the PKI.

After his last summons, Jaswadi remained in Guyuban for three years. He and most of the residents of Kedung Ombo carried out a traditional protest by refusing to comply with the invitations to meetings held by the government and resisting the arrival of the Land Acquisition Team.

In 1987, Jaswadi was asked by the Regent of Boyolali, Moh. Hasbi to help persuade residents to give in to the land acquisition. Jaswadi turned the request down.

Two years later, on 14 January 1989, the closing of the reservoir gate was inaugurated by the Minister of Public Works Radinal Mochtar and the Governor of Central Java Muhammad Ismail. In less than ten days, water started to quickly inundate the villages, forcing the people of Kedung Ombo to flee to higher areas.

"Some of them stayed at their neighbors' houses (in higher areas), then (moved again to) their relatives," recalled Jaswadi.

According to him, the government's action was similar to the concept of domein verklaring (free state domain) in the Agrarische Wet (Agrarian Law) of 1870 which was enacted during the Dutch colonial period.

"It's a colonial law where they force people to leave the place. They are the one in control,” said Jaswadi.

Jaswadi and the other residents were getting tired of battling the reservoir water that kept getting higher day by day. On 6 April 1989, Jaswadi led a delegation consisting of eight representatives to meet the Central Java governor. The seven people who came with Jaswadi were Yudi from Nglanji; Ngadimin, Senen, and Demis from Ngrakum; Sutikno and Ratno from Kemusu; and Jimin from Bawu.

Known as the Group of Eight, they were welcomed by Governor Ismail who promised every resident of Kedung Ombo who was still living in the inundated area and had not received compensation a land of 1,000 square meters and a plot of land that commensurates their land that was flooded by the reservoir.

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The Promised Land

While awaiting the governor's promise to be fulfilled, they staged a ketoprak performance Baru Klinthing play, Dumadining Rawa Pening, which depicted the experiences and tribulations endured by the villagers during the Kedung Ombo project.

The promised land was eventually given starting from mid-May 1989 to 201 heads of families who each got plots of land in the Kedung Lele forest. Later, a celebration event was held and led by Governor Ismail on 30 May 1989. The big festivity was liven up by the performance of the keroncong star Waljinah, Didik Nini Thowok group, and a ketoprak performance about Mas Karebet.

The two relocation lands were named Kedungmulyo and Kedungrejo, two hamlets that were born in the former Kedung Lele forest, which in Jaswadi mythology was the promised cengkir gading (young coconut) forest.

"Dadi kutho le, iki alas (this forest will turn into a city, kid)," said Jaswadi, imitating how his ancestors used to mention that the forest would someday become a city.

However, the initiation of Kedungmulyo and Kedungrejo did not immediately resolve the Kedung Ombo case. Although some villagers were finally content after being weary of the overwhelming dam water, and most of the mass media had started to be disinterested in covering the commotion in Bumi Serang, many problems persisted.

According to George Junus Aditjondro in his dissertation at Cornell University entitled The Media as Development “textbook”: A Case Study on Information Distortion in the Debate about the Social Impact of an Indonesian Dam, some of the villagers didn't follow Jaswadi to the new hamlets. Around 600 families from several old hamlets chose to stay in their homes that were only hundred meters away from the reservoir. They still demand a fair negotiation process to determine the compensation for their displaced property, and a permission to live permanently on the more fertile shores of the reservoir.

Jaswadi and the other Group of Eight members were said to abandon the villagers who hadn't received the compensation yet. The group are also considered as elitist due to their exclusive connection to the governor. As a result, they are called traitors.

Despite also refusing to move to Kedungmulyo or Kedungrejo, Ngateno defended Jaswadi. He believes that the service of Jaswadi and the Group of Eight is quite significant, as they succeeded in demanding a settlement that is not far from the reservoir.

"The one who saved the widows, widowers, and orphans was Mbah Jas," said Ngateno.

Ngateno refused to move because he doesn't want to live in the forest. He is now one of 14 heads of families who still reside on the remaining unsubmerged land in Guyuban.

At a glance, Kedungmulyo and Kedungrejo seem relatively quiet, unlike the kutho (city) that Jaswadi's ancestors foresaw. The temperature is hot since the teak trees are starting to wither. Some of the winding hamlet roads are paved, some are concrete, while some others are just broken cement plaster.

Nowadays, Jaswadi is busy with the statues and the guests who visit his house. He also mentioned that many people came to Kedung Ombo from the neighboring city in search of gold. Jaswadi whispered he knew the gold's precise location, then pointed at a bowl of coins that are most likely made of brass, and a few lumps of rock that admittedly has a glistening yellow shine.

Despite his persona as a savior, stigma as a traitor, and his fading memory evident from his confusion in mentioning years, he is highly respected by the people. Walking along the Kedungmulyo road to Guyuban, everyone greets him politely. In every rice field in Kemusu, people recognize him.*

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