Debate rages over distribution of Bali's tourism wealth<\/p>\n
By Nyoman Suwela<\/p>\n
SINGARAJA (JP): Look at the map of the Indonesian archipelago,
\nBali is only a dot, minute compared to the other provinces in
\nIndonesia. However, its world-wide fame as a tourist destination
\nis disproportionate to its size, and the methods on how best to
\ndistribute wealth generated by the tourism industry has raised
\ncontroversy and heated debate.<\/p>\n
The province itself is divided into eight regencies and one
\nmayoralty. As an autonomous province, it has to be self-
\nsufficient with all the resources. Fortunately, Bali has been
\nblessed with scenic beauty blended with a unique culture based on
\nHinduism. That is why it is no exaggeration to say that it is
\neasy to see why Bali has earned the status \"the island of gods\",
\n\"the morning of the world\".<\/p>\n
Because of its uniqueness, Bali has been attracting tourists
\nand travelers alike since the Dutch colonial period. During the
\nDutch era, the capital was Singaraja in Northern Bali. Bali was
\nonly a part of the province of Sunda Kecil, the province of
\nLesser Sunda Islands, encompassing Bali in the west and West
\nTimor in the east.<\/p>\n
Buleleng harbor was the main entrance for tourists arriving in
\nBali by sea. From there, they usually traveled to the southern
\npart of Bali by car.<\/p>\n
In l959, the province of Sunda Kecil was divided into three
\nprovinces namely Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.
\nThe capital of the new province of Bali was moved from Singaraja
\nin the north to Denpasar in the south.<\/p>\n
The opening of Ngurah Rai International Airport in the south
\nduring the l960s made Bali easily accessible from all four
\ncorners of the globe.<\/p>\n
Tourist arrivals have been increasing steadily as has the
\nproliferation of tourist facilities. Two main tourist resorts
\nnamely Sanur and Kuta, both located in Badung regency are already
\ncongested and have suffered a decline in environmental quality.<\/p>\n
Based on projections of a future increase in tourist arrivals
\nmade by the provincial government, the idea to develop an
\nintegrated resort was launched.<\/p>\n
The idea was later realized in the development of Nusa Dua
\ntourist resort financed partly by the World Bank and managed by
\nstate-owned Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC). The
\nresort has now become one of the island's most luxurious, well-
\nintegrated holiday and business resorts operating at
\ninternational standards.<\/p>\n
Based on the tourism master plan, the main tourist attraction
\nin Bali is its rich and diverse cultural assets and therefore
\nsuch valuable property should always be protected from any
\npossible threat.<\/p>\n
Cluster<\/p>\n
All tourism development projects should only be clustered in
\nresort areas designated specially for the construction of hotels,
\nrestaurants and other tourist facilities. Such projects must not
\nbe carried out in places where the island's cultural assets
\nincluding holy temples, ancient buildings and specific banjar
\ntraditional villages are located.<\/p>\n
According to the master plan, there are 21 resort areas in
\nBali but, due to a number of developments, the number has been
\nincreasing substantially over the last few years. The
\nconstruction of new resorts have expanded to areas as remote as
\nthe mother temple of Besakih in Karang Asem, East Bali, Tanah Lot
\nholy temple, and Mount and Lake Batur in Tabanan regency.<\/p>\n
Sadly all these developments are taking place in areas that
\nwere previously protected from any tourist development projects.<\/p>\n
The provincial government requires each regency to impose a 10
\npercent development tax on any transaction at any hotel and
\nrestaurant. Because of this tax requirement, tourist-designated
\nareas such as Sanur, Kuta and Nusa Dua have received a huge
\namount from tax revenues. These areas have reaped the financial
\nbenefits of tourism.<\/p>\n
But this situation has also created a wide income disparity
\namong regencies in Bali.<\/p>\n
A number of regional governments have argued that all tax
\nrevenue from the province's tourism business must be distributed
\nfairly to each of regencies in the province.<\/p>\n
To solve this problem, the central government, in particular
\nthe Ministry of Home Affairs, obliged the Badung regency and
\nother rich regencies to distribute 30 percent of their tax
\nrevenues to less developed regencies to be used for the
\ndevelopment of tourist facilities in each regency.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, many regents and regional officials have
\nallegedly used these funds for their own interests. Some
\nofficials have reportedly bought luxury cars and houses with the
\nmoney.<\/p>\n
Such unscrupulous action was uncovered by the Governor of Bali
\nduring an official tour he made to Bangli regency.<\/p>\n
The implementation of the new law on regional autonomy last
\nJanuary also touched upon this issue. The Badung regional
\nlegislative council DPRD has proposed to reduce the regency's tax
\ndistribution from 30 percent of total tax revenue to only 15
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Regional legislators argued that Badung regency would need a
\nsubstantial amount of money to finance various development
\nprojects as a consequence of the new law on regional autonomy.<\/p>\n
Other regencies openly opposed the Badung regency's idea and
\nhave threatened to impose levies on every tourist visiting or
\nstaying at their regencies.<\/p>\n
Many people have accused Badung legislators of being arrogant.
\nWhatever the reason, every official and member of society must
\nrealize that Bali belongs to every Balinese person. If Badung
\nregency insists on implementing their plan to cut tax
\ndistribution by half, the income disparity among Bali's regencies
\nwill be wider than ever and it may create social and economic
\nunrest amongst locals. Badung regency is only a small part of
\nBali. Badung people and officials should think and act wisely and
\nresponsibly, not just concerning their own regency, but about the
\neffects of their decisions on the entire island.<\/p>\n
The writer is a travel observer and former head of Buleleng
\nTourism Office.<\/p>",
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