Restoring the Aura of Pangandaran Beaches

KOMPAS/DEDI MUHTADI

The regency administration has plans to relocate the local fishing boats and cruise boats that fill Pangandaran Beach. About 2.5 million tourists annually visit Pangandaran Beach on the southern coast of West Java, generating Rp 144 billion in local revenues (PAD) in 2017.

The provincial government of West Java intends to turn Pangandaran into a world tourist destination. A total of 1,364 street vendors who have crowded its beautiful beaches for decades have been relocated. Traditional security guards played an important role in the relocation.

As many as 1,364 street vendors who have for nearly 40 years filled the western and eastern coasts of Pangandaran in southern West Java, have finally been relocated to four shopping centers on the western coast.

The four shopping centers, built by the provincial government of West Java, are only about 100 meters from the western coast, a sloping beach that resembles Bali’s Kuta Beach.

"The relocation process, which has been ongoing since January, is completed," Apif Winayadi, the assistant secretary of Pangandaran regency, said recently.

Sasa Saefudin, 70, a community leader, said the relocation had been carried out smoothly, although it involved a large number of street vendors. Its success was inseparable from the involvement of the Satgas Jaga Lembur, or Overtime Task Force, local security guards similar to pecalang in Bali.

"Alhamdulillah, the relocation was smooth," said Moch Yusuf, vice chairman of the task force. Along with the local Satpol PP (public order agency), the Overtime Task Force secured the relocation process and tended to the beauty of the beach.

KOMPAS/DEDI MUHTADI

A new building stands on Pangandaran Beach, along the southern coast of West Java. It is one of four buildings the local administration has built to relocating 1,364 street vendors that have been overcrowding the beach for several decades.

In the 1970s, the beautiful beaches of Pangandaran were a favorite destination among foreign tourists as a place to enjoy the sunset while sleeping or reading a book. However, since the 1980s, street vendors have filled the area along the beach, including under the trees on the beaches, in order to sell their merchandise.

Because of the large number of street vendors, the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents (Asita) removed Pangandaran in 2005 from the list of favorite tourist destinations. "The beach became dirty and no longer comfortable for tourists," said Apif.

Community leaders and local youth then held a meeting to find a way to solve the problem of the street vendors. They wanted to create a better image for Pangandaran tourism and to make the beach comfortable again for tourists.

They agreed to propose to the local government that they establish a community security guard unit like the pecalang in Bali. So, in early 2016, as many as 30 people, along with government officials, went to Bali to learn about the activities of the pecalang traditional security guards.

Collaboration

They studied the activities of the pecalang, particularly those related to Kuta Beach. The beach looks like those on the western coast of Pangandaran, an ideal place to relax and enjoy the sunset. Upon their return from Bali, the group proposed to Pangandaran Regent Jeje Wiradinata that a body be established to accommodate a beach security unit.

Jointly run by local residents and the local administration, the residents wanted the body to be more formal. Jeje agreed to the proposal and formed a body called the Overtime Task Force with 100 members that was active 24 hours in three shifts. A field coordinator leads their activities that are carried out according to the local situation and conditions.

"On Saturday and Sunday, all members and leaders are active in the field," said Suroso, the task force’s chairman. On weekends and during holidays, Pangandaran Beach is always crowded with tourists. The security unit’s task is to prevent street vendors from entering the beach area. While on duty, the task force’s members are dressed in the black traditional Sundanese attire with a headband. After a year, the task force received a commendation from the West Java Police.

The West Java Police then invited members of the task force to train in organizational management, discipline and job discipline. Under a Pangandaran regional regulation, the task force began operations to relocate the vendors ahead of the Christmas 2016 and New Year 2017 holidays. However, long before the relocation, the task force’s members had been actively approaching the street vendors to ask that they carry out their activities in the designated areas.

The task force’s members are mostly local fishermen. They receive a wage of Rp 750,000 per month, including taxes. Their task is not easy, because they have to deal with street vendors, boat cruise operators or fishermen who have earned a living from the beach for dozens of years. “However, we were able to overcome all the challenges,” said Yusuf.

KOMPAS/DEDI MUHTADI

Members of the Satuan Tugas Jaga Lembur (Overtime Task Force), the local security unit of Pangandaran Beach, West Java, prepare to carry out their daily duties in maintaining security and order on the beach. The task force played a key role in relocating 1,364 street vendors from the beach to four buildings in January.

Fishing boats

Improvements were also made on the beach, which was also crowded by fishing boats and cruise boats. The main task was to arrange the fishing boats and their fishing nets, which often disrupted the view.

About 300 fishing boats were anchored along the western coast, occupying a lot of space because every boat was equipped with outriggers. The local administration then built a boathouse for the fishermen at the mouth of the Cikidang River, about 10 kilometers further west. The fishermen and their boats were moved to the boathouse so they would not disturb the tourists along the western coast.

The relocation was part of the local tourism development, because the fishermen were part of the tourist industry. The critical point was how to organize the fishermen. "We hope the western coast can be a marine tourism [destination] next year," said Yusuf.

According to Apif, an average 2.5 million tourists visit Pangandaran every year. In fact, this figure reached up to 3 million in 2017. About 15,000 foreign tourists visit the area each year. If the tourists spent Rp 200,000 each, Pangandaran tourism could generate Rp 600 billion a year.

"Our ideal is for Pangandaran and other West Java beaches to be free of street vendors. Because the areas located within 100 meters from the shoreline is [at high tide] is owned by the state. No buildings are allowed. That\'s what we want, and we have achieved this in Pangandaran," said West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

Beautiful and relaxing beaches would encourage tourists to stay longer, thus increasing spending for souvenirs, and in turn, the local tourism will boost the local economy and local revenues.