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Jokowi vetoes Susi’s policy
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo speaks to journalists after attending a groundbreaking ceremony of new building of Al-Hikamussalafiyah Islamic boarding school in Purwakarta, West Java on April 25. (Courtesy of/the Presidential Office)
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pearheaded by outspoken Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, the far-reaching and ceaseless war against illegal fishing has gone on for more than two years now, garnering praise domestically and internationally for its triumphs.
However, the war has taken a toll on an unintended victim: small fishermen along the northern coastline of Central Java and East Java — the nation’s second and third most populated provinces.
As many of the fishermen are supporters of the largest Islamic party in the House of Representatives, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has caved to accommodate their demands, rather than risk losing support for the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections in April 2019.
Jokowi has reversed Susi’s policy and allowed fishermen nationwide to return to using a modified type of trawl net, known locally as cantrang, which has long caused environmental damages.
Susi, who has become a popular Cabinet minister due to her unique charisma and policy of sinking hundreds of foreign vessels caught fishing illegally, issued a regulation banning the use of cantrang in 2015 to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable fishing.
The President summoned Susi to the State Palace on Wednesday and told her to allow fishermen to continue using cantrang until late 2017.
“The instruction from the President is to extend the use of cantrang until late 2017, especially in Central Java,” Susi said.
