It is a quiet Sunday at dawn at Paotere Harbour in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A row of cargo ships, seemingly devoid of crew, are parked by the shore. At the other end of the dock, vacant fishing boats float silently on the water.
The placid scenery is abruptly interrupted by the roar of a boat engine. “That’s the vessel that will take us,” says a man named Hasanuddin.
Hasanuddin—or Pakde Hasan, as people call him—is the head of Mattiro Ujung Village that oversees both Pandangan and Kapoposang islands. Administratively, the islands are part of Pangkajene Kepulauan (Pangkep) Regency of South Sulawesi Province.
Members only
Join New Naratif as a member to continue reading
We are independent, ad-free and pro-democracy. Our operations are member-funded. Membership starts from just US$5/month! Alternatively, write to sponsorship@newnaratif.com to request a free sponsored membership. As a member, you are supporting fair payment of freelancers, and a movement for democracy and transnational community building in Southeast Asia.
