Dedication of Sangadi to the Environment

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Marsidi Kadengkang

Marsidi Kadengkang (65) never hesitated to give everything he had -- be it thoughts, energy or materials -- when he was tasked with developing Mengkang village in the remote area of Bolaang Mongondow, North Sulawesi, in 2006. One proof of his dedication is a water turbine that made his village electrically self-sufficient.

“The sangadi [village head] is a representative of the people; he must be honest and responsible. The sangadi can be successful if the community wants to rely on self-help programs," said Marsidi, imitating the advice of his parents, on 13 July 2022, at his house in Kopandakan I village, Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi.

He received this advice when he was sworn in as a sangadi of Kopandakan in 1993. At that time, he was 35 years old. Kotamobagu did not yet exist because it was still part of Bolaang Mongondow regency.

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This principle was still relevant 13 years later when he received an order from the 2001-2011 Bolaang Mongondow regent, Marlina Moha Siahaan, to establish a new village in the Mengkang plantation area, about 23 kilometers southwest of Kopandakan. The establishment of the village was needed to support the division of the district.

Over time, more and more residents built houses in the people's plantation areas.

At that time, Mengkang was only a plantation area cleared by the Kopandakan people in the 1950s. It is located adjacent to the forest which in the 1980s became the Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park (TNBNW). Over time, more and more residents built houses in the people's plantation areas.

“At that time there were already 20 houses from Kopandakan residents who settled in Mengkang, but there was no electricity because [state electricity company] PLN had not yet built the electricity network. So, I bought a 3,000-watt dynamo and other equipment, including an iron-water turbine, at my own expense. Together with other residents, I am trying to build a micro-hydropower plant (PLTMH),” said Marsidi.

Marsidi, who is a graduate of a vocational high school (SMK) majoring in electrical engineering, chose a point on the edge of an irrigation canal as the location of a power house containing a generator installation. The water in the channel flows quite fast from the upstream of the river in the TNBNW forest so that it is able to rotate the turbine that hangs above it.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Marsidi Kadengkang

Marsidi's efforts provoked waves of change in Mengkang, which had the status of a preparatory village in 2006. Thanks to the micro-hydropower plant, hundreds of residents who for five decades had lived with no light every night were finally able to enjoy the light. The villagers said goodbye to the dim light of the torch.

“My main target at that time was school children, so they could study at night. Since the 1980s, there has been an elementary school in Mengkang. Children can recite the Quran and do morning exercises,” recalls Marsidi.

The spinning wheel also turns the wheels of village development. Village halls, mosques and various public facilities were established in Mengkang. Residents are free to do what activities they like at night.

So, in 2009, Marsidi again took his own money to buy a dynamo with a capacity of 5,000 watts.

More and more residents from Kopandakan are relocating to Mengkang. Automatically, electricity consumption in the village increases so that more power is needed. So, in 2009, Marsidi again took his own money to buy a dynamo with a capacity of 5,000 watts.

However, the increase in power has not been enough because more and more people are buying television sets, complete with satellite dishes and decoders, in order to enjoy clear broadcasts. Once again, Marsidi spent his personal funds to increase the generating power to 10,000 watts.

Finally, in 2011, Marsidi bought another new dynamo to increase the village's electricity capacity to 20,000 watts. “People's needs are getting bigger, so village electricity must be normal. Because it uses water [power], the community does not have to pay. The energy source comes from the flow of water in the village,” he said.

In fact, proposals for contributions came from the residents. They proposed a fee of Rp 10,000 (US$0.67) per month, but Marsidi set it at Rp 5,000. “I have experience being a sangadi in Kopandakan; I already know the behavior of the citizens. So, we have to understand the residents; we can't suddenly ask for payment, because they might not set aside the money,” he said.

Everything that is done for the people in Mengkang, Marsidi said, must be implemented by a leader, even if he has to make personal sacrifices. He feels that his hard work is rewarded when people can enjoy the fruits of his effort.

KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI

Marsidi Kadengkang

"That's why, after I became sangadi, I couldn't buy anything. But my satisfaction comes when people can live comfortably with electricity. They no longer need to go to Mopusi or Tanoyan [neighboring villages] just to watch a football match [on television],” Marsidi said with a chuckle.

Forest protection

Apart from electricity, Marsidi is also a pioneer in forest protection in his village. During his official tenure in 2007-2018, the father of two had a good relationship with the TNBNW office. In 2012, for example, he led residents to plant nearly 200 durian and rambutan tree seedlings on the borders of village plantations and national parks.

In 2018, he mobilized residents to be involved in collaborative ecosystem restoration (PEK) with the TNBNW office. Various trees native to the TNBNW forest, such as nantu, cempaka, candlenut,

nutmeg, as well as durian and rambutan, are planted there. With a fund of Rp 97.16 million, 30 hectares of open land was successfully rehabilitated.

“At that time, the slopes around the village were already barren. If it rains heavily and landslides hit, this village can be buried. So, we planted candlenut on the slopes, more than 10,000 stalks. Then, the results: candlenut can be gathered by the community to be sold; it can also be purchased by the TNBNW office to feed the maleo birds in captivity,” said Marsidi.

Marsidi's work in the form of PLTMH as well as his commitment to restoring national park forests around the village prompted the TNBNW office to make him a conservation cadre in 2012. He was the only cadre from North Sulawesi, one of the 92 cadres nationally fostered by the Environment and Forestry Ministry, before becoming the Environment and Forestry Minister (KLHK).

As a conservation cadre, he was honored to be invited to attend the 67th Indonesian independence ceremony at the Merdeka Palace. "Incidentally, the next day [18 August] was Idul Fitri. We were invited to the open house by [former] president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,” he said, recalling his experience.

He still received many awards from various parties, but he did not like to brag too much.

In 2019, Marsidi received the Kalpataru award in the environmental-pioneer category, even though at that time he had not served as the head of Mengkang for almost a year. He still received many awards from various parties, but he did not like to brag too much.

"I've been working on making micro-hydro generators; I've never told anyone. I'm grateful that finally someone else sees my work. But what is more important is how these generators can be maintained as village assets,” he said.

However, Marsidi said that every person has an era and every era has a person. Since he stopped being a sangadi, the PLN electricity network has started being developed in the village. He has parallelized the electrical-network connection from micro-hydropower plants with PLN installations to residents' homes. Now, Mengkang has left behind the micro-hydropower plant project.

Marsidi said he was disappointed. Moreover, after receiving the Kalpataru award, two residents of Mengkang were arrested for threatening the police with sharp weapons. Both of them had been allegedly involved in illegal goldmining activities.

Unfortunately, he was no longer sangadi and he could only hope for the best. He also added one thing to his parents' advice. "The sangadi is a representative of the people; he must be honest and responsible, as well as maintain the good name of the village," said Marsidi, who has not visited Mengkang for the past two years.

Marsidi Kadengkang

Born: Kopandakan, Bolaang Mongondow, 3 September 1957

Wife: Inontat Modeong (63)

Children: 2

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)