FOR 40 years, Indonesian and Malaysian merchants have bartered goods at a dilapidated jetty on the banks of Sg Batu Pahat, Johor, not far from the Batu Pahat wholesale market.

Cash is not king for Riau merchants who come in sailboats from Bengkalis and the nearby islands across the Straits of Malacca, with goods, such as mangrove wood, teak, nipah leaves, fish, pandan mats, gambir tree bark and coal.

They exchange these for all sorts of items, but especially sand and quarried stones used as building material.

For the Malaysian traders, coconuts are a hot item and on the day The Malaysian Insight visited the jetty, 500,000 fruits were coming in on barges and being transferred to lorries for distribution throughout the peninsula.

This is roughly the number of coconuts bartered on a daily basis here and the jetty is regarded as a gateway for Indonesian coconuts.

Although Malaysia grows coconuts, it still imports about 100 million fruits from Indonesia annually, according to media reports citing figures from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.

Locals refer to the barter trading jetty as “betau”. It gives them a livelihood and is an important part of the local econom.

But after 40 years, the betau is in a ramshackle and dangerous state. The lax security and customs control have also raised suspicions that the jetty may be used in the movement of illegal goods.

Local traders now want the government to take over management of the jetty from its private operator.

“If people smugglers brought in illegal immigrants, it would be hard to know with so little monitoring,” said one source familiar with the jetty’s operations.

“No one knows about the boats that come in and out, there’s no record. Maybe customs has records, but that’s only if the boats declare their cargo.

“The boats that come in and out, we wouldn’t know what they are. Maybe only the Customs Department would and only if the boats declare their cargo.

“Because of this, we want the government to take over management of the jetty,” he said.

Trading at the jetty is physically dangerous but it remains a hive of activity every day.

There is a visible lack of safety equipment, while soil erosion along the riverbank has not been treated.

About 10 cranes line the river and are used to unload coconuts from the Indonesian barges. The banks of the river are lined with coconut trunks and discarded tyres to prevent them from collapsing.

“We want tighter monitoring and better safety. Look how dangerous it is with the cranes lining up on the bank to unload coconuts and the banks are in danger of collapsing. How can we work in this kind of situation?” asked a jetty worker who did not wish to be named.

A source familiar with the jetty’s operations said the private operator lacks funds to invest in its infrastructure. The jetty receives no assistance from the government and the only visible sign of authority is the Customs Department office.

“This jetty has been a barter trading point since I was a child and it hasn’t changed since those days. It is becoming unsafe to work here,” said the source who is in his 50s.

“I think facilities and management would be better if it is under the government.”

The source said the government should take an interest in improving infrastructure and safety at the jetty, as the Federal Agriculture and Marketing Authority also relies on it to bring in coconut imports.

“If it were managed better, the government wouldn’t be losing out on taxes that it could be collecting,” another source who worked at the jetty said.

“There is no initiative whatsoever by any government agency to take over the management the jetty, even though it is a key trading port.”

Apart from taxes collected from the imported coconuts, the sources said revenue is derived from the temporary landing licence that traders must renew annually and the temporary occupation license (TOL) for the land.

Although the Customs Department is present, most of its focus is on its own port located further inland. Supposedly, items are declared there for taxation, but one of the sources said that due to the distance, “many things could happen” along the way to avoid paying taxes.

“For example, while the barge travels inland (to the customs point), the goods could be thrown overboard to be picked up later by small boats,” he said.

The jetty here is popular with traders and merchants from Riau because of its close proximity across the straits, rather than ports in Jakarta or Bandung. It is still a seven- to 10-hour journey from Riau to Batu Pahat.

Apart from Batu Pahat, similar barter trade ports are in Port Klang and Malacca.

Malacca said in March it would upgrade its barter trade port to turn it into a major hub in the straits.

Meanwhile, at the jetty at Sg Batu Pahat, dozens of boats from Indonesia line the banks, carrying unknown cargo.

They are docked illegally, one of the sources told The Malaysian Insight. – December 13, 2019.