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Environmentalist wins human rights prize
Aleta Baun - Courtesy of Goldman Environmental PrizeA renowned environment activist from the indigenous Molo tribe in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Aleta Baun, could not hide her surprise when she learned she was the recipient of the 2016 Yap Thiam Hien human rights award
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Aleta Baun - Courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize
A renowned environment activist from the indigenous Molo tribe in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Aleta Baun, could not hide her surprise when she learned she was the recipient of the 2016 Yap Thiam Hien human rights award.
Mama Aleta, as she is known, said that while she felt truly honored for being recognized for her achievements, the award also burdened her with a bigger responsibility to protect the environment, which she has done for more than 20 years.
“My struggle continues. I have to guard the sustainability of environmental protection and ensure that my efforts will be continued by others, so that more people can also get awards, not just me,” Mama Aleta told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Like most Molo people, she believes humans should bear in mind that the earth is a mother who blesses people with livelihoods and must not be exploited, even in the name of making profits for a country to live on. “Otherwise the environment will continue to be damaged [...] The government thinks selling nature will make money, but the earth does not intend it to be that way. The earth says ‘protect me and I will give what humans need’,” said the 53-year-old.
Mama Aleta, who is now continuing her efforts as a member of the NTT Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD), was given the award for being a “fearless environmental defender who fights peacefully against mining activities in the province”.
One of the judges, Press Council chairman Yoseph Stanley Adi Prasetyo, said the committee chose Mama Aleta for her exceptional achievement in translating her individual concerns into organizing hundreds of villagers to peacefully occupy marble mining sites in a “weaving protest”.
Molo, located in the southern part of the Mutin Mountain sanctuary in South Central Timor, NTT, is a resource-rich area with marble, gas and many other commodities. The area is thick with primary forest that functions as a water-catchment area. The rich resources have tempted foreign companies to exploit the land, which brought problems of deforestation to the indigenous people who have protected the area for generations.
The peaceful and sustained presence of Mama Aleta and local women on the marble rocks at the quarry, where they quietly wove traditional fabrics in protest, finally bore fruit in 2010, as mining companies halted work at all four sites in Molo territory and abandoned their operations.
In 2013, Mama Aleta also won the Goldman Environmental Prize as the Recipient for Islands and Island Nations. The prize supports individuals struggling to win environmental victories against the odds.
Another judge on the panel, prominent human rights activist and senior diplomat Makarim Wibisono, said the committee chose an environmentalist as the recipient this year amid concerns that crimes against the environment and nature remained widespread in Indonesia.
Makarim said the committee wanted to show that demonstrations against commercial activities that harmed the environment could be carried out peacefully, which was proven to be more effective than other forms of protest.
“We hope this award can have a greater impact on decreasing crimes against nature and the environment in the future,” Makarim said.
Mama Aleta was chosen by acclamation from 22 other candidates this year, who mostly consisted of women activists, said another judge and prominent women’s rights defender, Zumrotin K. Susilo.
Another name that made it to the top of the list was Sukinah, one of nine women farmers from the Kendeng Mountains in Central Java who cemented their feet inside boxes for more than 24 hours in front of the State Palace in April, to protest against cement factories that they said would threaten their livelihoods and source of water.
“We acknowledge that their efforts are still ongoing and have a long way to go. Hopefully next year [the farmers or other candidates on the list] will win the award,” Zumrotin said.
