What are the Similarities between Singapore and Lombok?
One fine day, In the arrival hall of NTB Lombok Praya Airport, the head of Doni Monardo cast a question for his companions: what are the similarities of the road from Lombok Airport to the city with the road from Singapore’s Changi Airport to the downtown area? Previously, an Indonesian Army Lieutenant General and a former Kopassus General Commander, Doni had a dialogue with someone: how many times have you been to Lombok? When was your last visit to Lombok? Have you ever been to Singapore?
Well, let’s ignore the answer to the trivia question of the lieutenant general who never forgets to carry his water bottle — which is well-known as ‘tumbler’ in Indonesia. For a moment let’s take a look back.
It was about 2010–2011, when then-Colonel Doni Monardo served as the Surya Kencana Bogor Military Command Commander, one afternoon his cellphone rang. Talking with him was Marine Colonel Octavian Amarulla, then-Indonesian president’s adjutant (Now Commander of Indonesian Naval command school). As asked by the then-President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Octavian asked Colonel Doni whether there was still a stock of trembesi tree (rain tree) seeds.
Doni asked back for what, how much is needed, and where to plant them. Long story short, Doni prepared 10,000 trembesi tree seedlings 1 meter high averagely. From the nursery location, they were then transported to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The planting was for along the road that was about 30 km starting from the mouth of Praya Lombok Airport along the left and right of the road to the city center.
The Budiasi Association
Why is trembesi? This tree is considered powerful because it has proven to have great benefits for the environment. Trembesi is believed to be effective in reducing the impact of global warming that threatens the earth. In Indonesia trembesi is also known as the rain tree. The Sundanese call him Kihujan. The scientific name is Samanea saman or Albizia saman.
Then why was Doni who then served in Bogor contacted while the planting location was not in his military area?
Since he was a second lieutenant, Doni has been known as a tree expert and lover and has had taken many concrete actions of planting trees. One proof is the greening of the Serang Kopassus Group 1 region in 1998 and Brigif Kariango of Makassar in 2008 with palm trees.
Doni was then active in Paguyuban Budiasi or the Budiasi Association, which is engaged in environmental conservation through empowering tree nurseries. At least millions of different types of tree seedlings have been distributed to various parties, working together to conduct greening in some regions.
Tree seeds distributed include hardwood types such as trembesi, Jabon and sengon while fruit trees include soursop, durian and avocado.
“The tree seedlings given to the community were quality seeds with a minimum qualification of 1 meter high. This was intended so that the tree seeds when planted can immediately adapt to the new planting environment and not die,” said Deputy Chairperson of the Budiasi Association Wayan Budi, adding that it also prepares rare and endemic tree seeds in Indonesia. The tree seeds include ironwood, sandalwood, agarwood, ebony and merbau.
Budiasi is a community engaged in reforestation and tree and plant nurseries. The seeding nurseries are carried out on 12 hectares of land in Kadumanggu Village, Babakan Madang, Bogor. All seeds are distributed free, as long as they are properly planted. This former commander of the president’s security forces was one of the initiators of the establishment of the Association of Budiasi.
Well, back to the story of transporting 10,000 trembesi seeds from Bogor to Lombok, the simultaneous planting in the end began. Three years later, in 2014, the trees were re-planted with a better arrangement.
“The trees were dug up again, then quarantined for about two weeks and then new holes for replantation were made with the distance and size of one tree with the other to be made ideal for not piling up. The distance was recalculated,” said Doni.
The more organized replanting involved Angkasa Pura 1, Djarum and officers of Korem 162 Wirabakti of NTB. Almost ten years later, this morning in March 2019 the streets around the Lombok airport are now shady with trembesi views.
A similar story, though comes from a different year, as reported by Businessmirror. Dr Lena Chan, Director of the Singapore Biodiversity Center, revealed on June 16, 1963, Lee Kuan Yew began campaigning for planting various types of trees in Singapore.
Precisely in 1967, PM Lee focused on using the rain tree plants as a natural protector along the toll road from Changi Airport to the city center. For this, Lee is now widely mentioned as the father of greening Singapore.
Well, Doni’s trivia question, I think, is now finally answered. The streets at Praya Lombok Airport and Changi Singapore Airport are similarly green and shady, thanks to the marching of the trembesi trees.
Hermes Perfume Material
On the sidelines of his working visit in Lombok, Doni again revealed one thing that not many people knew about. Of course, it’s still about trees. Trees, besides preserving nature as the lungs of the earth, also have astounding economic values.
Doni shows the refined oil from the leaves and bark from the Masohi tree which happened to be brought by Halim, an acquaintance in the tree lovers community. Long ago this masohi tree grew on Seram Island, Central Maluku. “But now every single of it has been cut down, but we can still find it in Papua,” Halim said.
Halim, who is now pursuing to cultivate a Masohi tree nursery, has succeeded in replanting the spectacular tree in the East Lombok region. There are at least 3,700 trees that are approaching their two years of age. The harvest time of the leaves and the bark of each tree is in 7 years. The leaves and the bark of the masohi go through the distillation process to produce the liquid fluid oil. That is what is called masohi oil.
Then what is economically special about the leaves and bark of the masohi trees? Apparently they are the main ingredient in making the famous Hermes brand perfume. Prices per kg of oil range from 300 to 500 USD.
Halim said that the demand for buyers is very high, especially from Switzerland. Currently, Halim is only able to service around 400 kg per year. “Even though the buyer asks for up to 100 tons per year,” Halim’s story is guaranteed by Doni. Doni himself called it the Green Gold Project — a kind of treasure from the results of planting trees that can ultimately prosper the people.
Halim also plants Nilam (Pogostemon cablin Benth), a kind of tropical shrub/bush which produces a type of essential oil which is also popularly known as Nilam oil. In international trade, this nilam oil is known as patchouli oil (from Tamil patchai (green) and ellai (leaf), because the oil is distilled from the leaves.
At present, there are around 80 hectares of patchouli plants in East Lombok and another 20 hectares in Pusuk West Lombok. This patchouli plants can be harvested in the first 7 months. The price of patchouli oil is currently around 35 USD per kg for fragrance and incense. If you happen to be a user of the brands like Molto, Lux and Lifebuoy then you now know that they come from patchouli plants.
Now, do you know what Nilam means? Doni eloquently reveals the veil of his story. The Nilam plants are known to come from Aceh. Patchouli itself has an extended meaning: Netherlands Indische Land and Acheh Maatschappij, the name of a company from the Netherlands at that time.
Doni with his new position as head of BNPB, has taken the initiative to add the planting of tree strategy as part of disaster mitigation — indeed followed by other concrete efforts.
“We are now mapping out the types of trees that can be planted on the beach. Because human construction has a time limit,” said Doni, during the 11th BNPB anniversary celebration, at the BNPB Training Center, Sentul, Bogor in last February 2019.
There is no time to waste. Environmental safeguarding by us humans is mandatory. Voices like those of Lt. Gen. Doni and other persistent figures should be consistently campaigned to keep our nature alive. It should not be swallowed by the hustle and bustle of other businesses.
The key is to be aware of prevention strategies which should begin within the shortest possible time from today. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a writer and a poet from Germany, born in 1749, said Was heute nicht geschieht, ist morgen nicht getan — What doesn’t start today will never be finished tomorrow.
Of course it all should start with this perspective: let’s be looking after nature and nature will be looking after us. Thus, disasters such as the muddy flood can be mitigated with minimal casualties so that the state budget can be spent on other productive matters.
Good nature that is well-preserved and well maintained, are healthy lungs of the earth. It is also a symbol of civilization for human behavior. If the forest is deforested, the river is polluted, can we still consider ourselves a civilized nation? (*)
Greetings from Lombok, Indonesia
