Ubud offers respite from Jakarta's travails<\/p>\n
By Mohammad Sadli<\/p>\n
UBUD, Bali (JP): It is refreshing to get away from the
\nhaunting debate in Jakarta where day in and day out the media
\nunderline the gloom of a frighteningly widening gap between the
\nrich and the poor. Especially when the rich and super-rich are
\nassociated with the Chinese business minority and the poor
\nconstitute the majority indigenous population or struggling
\nentrepreneurs. Such domestic media attention sooner or later gets
\nreflected in the international media. When I visited Melbourne,
\nAustralia, my hosts queried whether the situation in my country
\nwas really that troublesome.<\/p>\n
A traveler on their way to a conference in Melbourne can find
\nrespite from these Jakarta worries during a few days' stop over
\nin Bali, especially if those days are spent in a bungalow in the
\nmiddle of beautiful green paddy fields in Ubud. Even more so if
\nthere is no television, radio or telephone within immediate
\nreach.<\/p>\n
Bali is a wonderful place to escape from things. One can spend
\na few hundred dollars a day in a five-star hotel or cabin-style
\nretreat. But for a fraction of the cost one can enjoy the
\nserenity and soothing beauty of the rice fields, plus a hearty
\nbreakfast and friendly people who aren't shy about chatting. That
\nis the charm of visiting Bali. People are simple, friendly and
\nwarm, without complexes for foreigners or outsiders.<\/p>\n
Ubud bungalows cannot be accessed by cars so one has to walk,
\nbalancing on the narrow top of sawah dikes, less than half a
\nmeter wide but only half of it cemented for the comfort of the
\nguests. To the left or right there may be deep ravines or steep
\nterrace walls. But such hazards are no obstacles for the many
\nyoung backpackers, often seen venturing into the villages. In the
\nevening negotiating those narrow dike footpaths is a tricky
\nexercise, and probably outright dangerous for the uninitiated
\nduring the rainy season. But the great compensation is the
\nexperience of staying in an upstairs room with a balcony and
\nsleeping with open doors and windows. Sleeping while engulfed by
\nthe rays of a full moon flowing into the room that also
\nilluminate the paddy fields in an eerie but serene way. All that
\nfor less than US$15 a day -- with no plus-plus.<\/p>\n
In a place like Ubud, people aren't haunted by the rich-poor
\nagony because Bali has an egalitarian society. Of course many of
\nthe tourists, especially those who frequent Nusa Dua and other
\nfive-star resort areas, are rich or very rich, but the Balinese
\ndo not mind. They are not part of that world and, as a matter of
\nfact, many Balinese earn their living from the wealthy tourists.
\nOne large five-star hotel employs about two thousand people.<\/p>\n
There are no local super rich who isolate themselves from the
\ncommunity. As a Balinese said, with some pride, even a governor
\nmust do his social chores and religious duties if he is back in
\nhis native place.<\/p>\n
Bali is an example of a very equitable development, based on
\ncomparative and natural advantages. Tourism as an industry is
\nvery personnel and labor intensive, with a lot of fall out
\neffects. Bali prides itself that Kuta has the highest non-oil per
\ncapita income in Indonesia and Ubud comes next.<\/p>\n
Under the surface there may be a growing concentration of
\nwealth, which isn't unnatural in a place with such high growth.
\nMuch of the profit and wealth goes to Indonesians and foreigners
\nresiding outside Bali. Therefore the display wealth is not
\nvisible and does not offend local sensitivities.<\/p>\n
Bali developed because of non-local investment and
\nentrepreneurship. The big hotels are financed from outside the
\nisland and the first entrepreneurs in the handicraft industry
\ncame from Surabaya, Jakarta and lately from Yogyakarta and
\nBandung. But, apparently, the Balinese did not particularly mind
\nthis invasion, and gradually emulated the innovation and
\nentrepreneurship that is the basis of their island's prosperity.<\/p>\n
One good example of this spread effect is that former
\npersonnel of the first Intercon Hotel are now striking out on
\ntheir own to promote new hotels.<\/p>\n
Actually the same spread effect is happening in Jakarta, but
\nin the process many of the intellectuals feel very unhappy about
\nthe end situation and the perceived \"dependencia\".<\/p>\n
So much for Bali and Ubud as an antidote for the mood in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Sadli is a senior economist and former minister of mines
\nand energy.<\/p>",
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