Ever since becoming minister of marine affairs and fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti — or just Susi, as she is widely known — has taken a hard line against fishing vessels operating illegally in Indonesian waters. How hard? She has captured boats blown to smithereens.
In a recent interview, the minister made it clear that she has no intention of putting the explosives away.
“[We have sunk] 317 boats [since 2014], and another 191 [are] waiting,” Susi told the Nikkei Asian Review during her visit to Tokyo. “It is just what I have to do to tackle the problem of illegal, unreported, unregulated [fishing]. You have to do your job, for the nation, for sovereignty.”
Although blowing up illegal fishing vessels is legal under Indonesian law, past ministers shied away from the practice for fear of damaging international relations. Susi said that her experience as an owner of a seafood export company and an aviation company played a role in her decision to take such drastic action.
“I am coming from a commercial world, [a] practical [world],” she said. “Normally, [blowing things up is] the most efficient. You cannot fence 97,000km of ocean line; it is impossible. What you have to do is to build up respect and fear [so] that they cannot play around with our commitment.”
The minister added that she has no plans to stop the practice. “We will have to continue, because if we stop, [poachers] will come back. … As soon as you are not consistent, people will think ‘[we are] free now,'” she said. “We are not yet fully satisfied, because there are still many of them coming, but of course not as many as before. The deterrence effect is taking effect.
“They are stealing fish, so [the ships] have to become a new home for the fish. I think that is a fair fate. Good karma.”
Susi, who is known for her distinctive throaty voice and leg tattoo, has won wide support from the Indonesian public for her direct and spirited style. She gained international attention in 2015 when she blew up a Chinese vessel for the first time, which some took as a statement to Beijing over the countries’ territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
The two governments’ battle for marine resources in those waters runs deep. The Indonesian navy has in recent years been stepping up patrols around the Natuna Islands, at the southern end of the South China Sea. In 2016, the navy impounded a number of Chinese vessels for what it claimed was illegal fishing, sparking protests from Beijing.
Nikkei Inc.