AS the Bahtera Hidup motorboat approached the quay at Namlea, Kabupaten Buru, near Maluku, Rustam Tasijawa got ready to descend the wooden stairs. Then, all of a sudden he slipped. The sack of cloves that he was carrying fell from Rustam's shoulders and sunk into the sea. With real feeling he said, "If the Trans-Buru Road project had not been halted halfway through, then the journey from Namrole to Namlea would definitely be safer."