Looking to the West
The journey from Suki to Obo took a full day. The Fly River grew narrower yet deeper, meandering and zigzagging in an unordered fashion.
Trip from Suki to Obo, Papua New Guinea
I continued my journey exploring the Fly River from Suki to Obo. The owner of the boat I was sailing was a young man named Nobi.
“I don’t like cigarettes or sliced areca nuts from Merauke that Indonesian traders often buy. Because of Indonesia, cigarettes and areca nuts here have become cheap,” said Nobi.
The journey from Suki to Obo took a full day. The Fly River grew narrower yet deeper, meandering and zigzagging in an unordered fashion.
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The sun and the wildly turbulent clouds streaming across the sky reflected on the surface of the quiet swamp waters. Flocks of various types of birds took flight, crying out as if they were welcoming the coming sunset. What was left was only natural silence, occasionally punctuated by the sound of paddles.
The sky was already dark by the time we got to Obo. We stayed overnight at the house of Gids Salle, Nobi\'s brother-in-law who frequently traveled to Merauke. A bald man with stern face and tall and muscular build, he was very friendly and laughed easily. Gids prepared grilled and boiled tilapia for us. Tilapia in Obo can grow to 40 centimeters long.
“Here, tilapia fish doesn’t cost a thing. In one day I can catch 30 fish in the river,” Gids said. Because of the large population of tilapia in the small river that runs behind his house, he only needed a spear to catch dozens of fish.
Gids\' wife boiled and grilled the tilapia fish without removing their scales. The flesh tasted like pure fish, because it was cooked without any spices. She cooked the fish the same way that most people do in Papua New Guinea (PNG): boiling and then grilling it directly over a fire.
Gids brought the fish he caught.
But Gids says he is more “modern” than other PNG people, thanks to Indonesia. The proof? He said he can eat chili just like an Indonesian.
“I just want to get along with white-skinned Indonesians. Because from them, I gain a lot of knowledge,” he said. What he meant by “white-skinned” referred to non-Papuans. He showed me a photo of a good friend in Merauke, who was a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) from Java.
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The next morning while walking in Obo village, I was welcomed with a familiar Indonesian greeting.
"[Good] Evening!" several men called out to me, even though it was clearly morning.
Obo is only about 30 kilometers from the Indonesian border. Local residents only need to take a boat for about 1 hour along a small river to reach Korop camp in the forest. From there, they can walk 6 hours to reach the TNI post in Kuel.
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The fact that Obo is closer to Indonesia than to PNG prompted Rex Sale, the village head, to think they should implement a “Look to the West” policy instead of a “Look to the East” policy.
"I work for the sake of my people. Indonesia uses technology that is so natural and suitable for its people, and without doubt, [it’s] suitable for us, too. Australia is implementing their technology here, but it is too sophisticated and unaffordable for us,” he said.
Volleyball match in Obo, Papua New Guinea. Participants wore uniform T-shirts purchased in Merauke, Indonesia.
Rex cited as an example a well he saw in Indonesia. He imagined that if the people of his village could build their own wells, it would be better than relying on the rainwater tank donated by Australia. The problem with the Australian rain harvesting tank was that if the tap broke, people had to go to Kiunga or Port Moresby just to buy a replacement and the villagers went thirsty for months.
“Indonesia is so close, but it seems as if we live in different worlds. Up to 80 percent of the people here have never ridden in a car, never seen a bike or a hotel. Many of them have also never seen cows or goats," said Rex.
***
Independence Day was still being celebrated in Obo, five days after D-Day. The field was crowded because of an inter-kampung football match.
All the players wore uniforms. The village leader explained to me that the players\' uniforms were ordered and purchased directly from Merauke, Indonesia. They were just ordinary screen-printed T-shirts that belonged to the village, and were only lent to the players. After a match, the uniforms are collected again for the players of the next match to wear.
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> Adventure of Exploring a Wild River
Awaii Nanda is an Obo village official. The rotund man admired Indonesian law enforcement very much. “There, everywhere you see police, soldiers, checkpoints. Here, we have no police, soldiers, checkpoints. The village officials who carry out that duty do not wear uniforms and are not paid," he said.
I saw several local residents on the field proudly wearing TNI uniforms that were purchased from Merauke. They were actually members of a civilian police auxiliary unit in Obo. Rather than not wearing any uniform, it was certainly more dashing to wear the army uniform from the neighboring country.
Nationalism here, I realized now, was actually a secondary need that would be discussed only after the people’s primary needs were met: a full stomach and a sense of security.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
