Reading the Modern Slavery Practices of the Crew at Tanjung Priok Port through the Eyes of Liberation Theology

"The Sabbath is not merely a rigid ritual day of rest, but a grand manifesto of justice, liberation, and the most radical restoration of human dignity."

Behind the glittering story of Jakarta's maritime industry, coastal areas such as Tanjung Priok have many grim stories that go unsaid. Many young people from lower economic classes are tempted by the sweet promise of jobs on board domestic fishing vessels. In fact, their downfall is sometimes also due to the participation of their families, who want their children to immediately achieve a successful life by working in the maritime industry. Instead of prosperity, these young people are often trapped in a cycle of slavery (modern slavery).

Deprived Fundamental Rights

In the middle of the high seas, it is often heard that these crew members are mistreated. The forms of mistreatment are quite diverse. Starting from the working time, where they have to work dozens to dozens of hours without a break. Not only that, unilateral withholding of wages to improper pay is also an issue that often arises. Not to mention, sanitation and food conditions that are far from decent. Their basic rights seem to be taken away by corporate stooges, who are only concerned with corporate profits. 

Reinterpretation of the Sabbath

This is one form of unrest, which resonates with a sharp challenge in the book "Reinterpretation of the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11)" by Rev Dr Yohanes R. Suprandono.

With a contemporary Old Testament theological approach, the author undertakes a thorough deconstruction of the Sabbath institution. Over the centuries, this institution has often been reduced to a day of no activity for the sake of ritual sanctity.

The Rights of All Beings

In fact, the Sabbath mandate may be even greater than that. It affirms that the right to rest is absolute and universal to all levels of creation. In the face of the Sabbath law, social stratification collapses instantly: the master, the servant, the hired labourer, even the farm animal, must have an equal right to rest. All are equal! In this sense, the Sabbath can be seen as God's harsh social critique of any system of human exploitation of others.

Restore the Holiness of the Sabbath!

Through this postmodern view, the issue of crew exploitation in North Jakarta is no longer just a blurry portrait of economic problems or ordinary labour law violations. Theologically, the hijacking of rest time and physical oppression of (maritime) workers is a clear defilement of the holiness of the essence of the Sabbath as intended by the Creator.

In the midst of this silent cry in the middle of the ocean, we are all invited to be more sensitive, because a prophetic question is again echoing to the surface: Will the church be silent, or worse, glorify this phenomenon as part of “God's blessings” in the form of employment and economic growth that feels good?

Is the church proud enough to say that people are blessed because they have good jobs, good reputations, but slowly their souls are on their way out? Is it a blessing when we say that "you should be thankful that you still have a job in this day and age!"?

Epilogue: A Call to the Modern Church

With the reinterpretation of the meaning of Sabbath, the issue of crew exploitation in Tanjung Priok is no longer just a blurry portrait of economic problems or ordinary labour law violations. Theologically, the hijacking of rest time and physical oppression of maritime workers is a real form of defilement of the holiness of the essence of the Sabbath as intended by the Creator.

At the end of the day, this contextualisation should disturb our awareness so that the church is not trapped in domestic piety that often ignores humanitarian polemics. Churches and communities of faith are called not to turn a blind eye. Celebrating Sabbath means having the courage to speak out and act against all forms of human trafficking chains around us. It is time for the echoes of Sabbath liberation not only to stop within the confines of the walls of magnificent or rickety churches, but to go down to dismantle the structures of oppression in the silent harbours.

I suppose, if the church is truly moved by the Holy Spirit, the real implementation of this is not enough in the form of tongues or physical manifestations in the worship space. More than that, the Holy Spirit should also nudge our sensitivity to social issues that continue to simmer, waiting for justice to be done.(Hizkiah)