Bali Arts Festival leaves unresolved issues

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

The party is over, and there are still a number of dirty glasses in the kitchen sink that need to be cleaned.

This is precisely the case with the 24th Bali Arts Festival that closed last Saturday. The "dirty glasses" are several unresolved issues that have plagued the one-month-long festival -- from the usual widespread confusion over the true objectives and mission of the festival to the much talked-about Rp 2.1 billion in cash provided by the Bali administration to finance the annual event.

"We are not questioning the quality of the performances, but merely doubt the festival committee's capacity to run the festival and handle such huge sums of money in an appropriate and prudent way," said festival enthusiast Dhyananatta.

Most of the festival's performances were, indeed, superbly staged. Around 6,000 artists from 184 troupes truly gave their best in some 160 performances presented during the festival. On the other hand, art enthusiasts also showed their generous support by continuously packing various indoor and outdoor venues at the Werddhi Budaya Arts Center, where the festival was held.

Yet, even those outstanding performances and warm audience responses were unable to hide the fact that this festival was poorly managed, so poorly managed that the very first day of the festival was marred by the postponement of three performances, generally inadequate stage equipment -- lighting and sound systems, the lack of information in the festival program except the name and time of the show, and the incessant and irritating inability on the part of the festival committee to communicate it's work to the general public.

"The committee used to provide us with a fully-equipped press room and an informative daily press release. Now, it's all gone. So are the writing and photography competitions," a local journalist complained.

The fact that this year's festival cost around Rp 2.1 billion, twice the amount spent on the 2001 festival, made it more difficult for the general public, the critics and, most notably, the local press corps to just let the committee walk away quietly despite such obvious incompetence.

"To put it in perspective, the 2002 Singapore Arts Festival cost around the same amount of money as the 24th Bali Arts Festival, yet this 24-day-long festival was able to present 500 events by 32 troupes from 18 countries, and attracted at least 270,000 people. The participating troupes were officially invited and fully-financed by the festival organizer," Dhyananatta said.

The 24th Bali Art Festival could only managed to organize 160 performances. Furthermore, several foreign troupes that did participate in the festival had to finance their own trips and shows.

As usual, the festival committee, which consisted mostly of government bureaucrats, took a defensive stance whenever this Rp 2.1 billion issue was brought up.

The deputy chairman of the festival committee, Rai Arnita, argued that the festival's costs had increased significantly due to the increase in the number of the participating troupes -- up from 94 troupes in 2001 to 184 troupes in 2002.

"In 2001, the festival committee gave between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 2.5 million in financial assistance to each troupe. In 2002, we raised this amount to between Rp 2.5 million and Rp 3.5 million. That was the reason why we spent more money this year," she said.

A very simple calculation reveals that at most the 184 troupes would have accounted for only Rp 644 million, way less than a billion rupiah. So far, the committee has not issued any explanation as to where the rest of the money went, the remaining Rp 1.3 billion!

The outcry over the money intensified when the public learned that the committee had also pocketed money from some 175 participants in the festival's handicraft exhibition. Each of the participants was asked to contribute between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million to cover the exhibition fee, and water and electricity bills. It was also reported that several dozen street vendors that flocked to the festival arena were also required to "donate" a certain amount of money to the committee.

The public is demanding an explanation and local legislators are debating the idea of setting up a special commission to grill the committee over this issue. Meanwhile, the governor of Bali himself has openly asked the committee to publicly clarify its revenue and expenditure.

Moreover, this issue has once again put the idea of setting up an independent body to run the festival firmly back on the agenda. This idea has been around for years, but the local administration bureaucrats, particularly those who are involved directly with the festival, have always been able to brush it off for one reason or another.

This year, however, it was those same bureaucrats who, by handling the Rp 2.1 billion issue in such a clumsy way, have given the idea the momentum it has been desperately seeking.

"Forget the idea of once again giving those bureaucrats a part-time job running the festival. This year, they have failed, miserably, if I may add. It's about time that the responsibility was given to an independent body, a private institution or a foundation, perhaps, to run the show. This body must consist of people with good managerial skills and the ability to work full- time for the festival," another festival enthusiast Sugi B Lanus told.

In his mind's eye, Sugi already has a picture of a streamlined, well-structured body working all year long with Japanese-style zeal and efficiency in preparing for the 25th Bali Arts Festival in 2003 -- assisting the participants, renovating the Arts Center complex, raising additional funds from the private sector and concerned individuals, and conducting aggressive promotional efforts abroad. Surely, such a body would be able to provide more than just Rp 3.5 million in financial assistance to each participating troupe, Sugi suggested.

"With Rp 2.1 billion in our pocket, I certainly think that we can afford these professional guys. Frankly speaking, I see no reason why we should not do it," he told.

Yes, we certainly can afford those professional guys, but the problem is whether the bureaucrats are ready to give up their stranglehold on the Rp 2.1 billion and let other people run the show. It is still a huge sum of money, after all.