'Nirvana' island loses its charm beauty

Yusrianti, Contributor, Makassar, South Sulawesi

Gloomy, lonely and neglected. That is the present state of the Kahyangan (Nirvana), a 3.5-hectare island off Makassar that was once a tourist paradise.

The economic crisis and mismanagement have ruthlessly battered "Nirvana".

The island now boasts only a row of dilapidated buildings and a rusty merry-go-round that creaks. South Sulawesi's best tourist resort between the 1960s and 1980s, the island is no longer as beautiful as its name suggests.

Located one nautical mile from Losari beach in Makassar, the island can be reached by motorboat in about 15 minutes. When you get there, you will no longer find any beauty. You can see only ruins of buildings formerly leased to tourists. In some of the buildings that still stand, the paint has faded. The merry-go- round is rusted and no longer moves. The engraved luxurious chairs have lost their luster and are in poor repair. Cockroaches are everywhere.

The remaining restaurant offers only bakso (meatball soup). And the service is just what one would expect from bakso hawkers. A very pathetic picture indeed of an island which only a few years ago was a holiday center.

In the mid 1970s, the island, formerly called Maraoux island, was one of the most popular tourist resorts for the people of Makassar and its surrounding areas. In this period it was also a prime tourist attraction for foreign tourists visiting Makassar.

In those days, the island was visited by 5,000 to 6,000 tourists a day. The local government and the island management pocketed hundreds of millions of rupiah in taxes and the entrance fee set at Rp 1000 to Rp 1,500 per person.

In its golden days, this tourist attraction offered various kinds of entertainment and attractions. In 1962 the local government established cooperation with PT Grand Hotel Jaya Usama, owned by Theo Pupela. The island management employed some 70 people and also provided additional income for fishermen and boat owners. Other economic sectors in Makassar and on the island itself benefited from this cooperation.

As there were no better tourist attractions in Makassar, visitors overlooked the fact that the island used to be a site of a leper colony. Of course, as the island was developed into a tourist resort, the lepers were sent to their home villages. When Makassar -- then called Ujung Pandang -- was led by mayor HD Patompo, the island was left under the management of PT Grand Hotel Jaya Usama (GHJU).

The private management turned the island into a sleepless area. Dozens of motels complete with children's games, restaurants and coffee shops sprang up. The island could also boast a multi-purpose venue for meetings, seminars, and a 12- meter-long stage jutting five meters into the sea.

How has the city administration reacted to the condition of the island? In the era of regional autonomy, the city administration admitted that it had found it difficult to raise funds for the regional budget but then to increase locally- generated income, all potential sources of revenue must be tapped. Head of the legal affairs division of Makassar city administration, Abd. Gaffar, said that an MoU between the Makassar city administration and PT Grand Hotel Jaya Usama, as the island management, expired in 1995.

Nevertheless, the two sides are making efforts to extend their cooperation. Unfortunately, even when the management of the island was taken over by Makassar city administration on March 1, 2000, the home minister had not yet given his approval.

However, the city administration of Makassar, has appointed the first management to manage the island with coordination with Makassar city administration. Every month this management party has to contribute Rp 10 million to the coffers of the Makassar city administration.

It is indeed ironical that only when the dream island was on the verge of destruction did the Makassar city administration take it over. It should have been done much earlier before the first management undertook renovation of facilities, so as not to make the management cost swell.

Meanwhile, Abd. Gaffar felt reluctant to divulge the budget allocated for the management and development of the island as a marine tourist attraction. He said he was optimistic that in future, the island could again enjoy its former glory.

"The city administration has put this island along with 11 others, including the Losari beach, into a marine tourist project. This island is the main priority and has been offered to investors," he said, adding that by the end of 2002 the new management of the island will commence work.

The other 11 islands that are part of the same marine tourist project are Lanjukkang, Samalona, Kodingareng Keke, Laelae, Kodingareng. Barang Lompo, Bone Tambung, Luwu-luwu, Barang Caddi and Langkai. These 11 islands are not far from Kayangan island and can be reached in 20 minutes from Losari beach. On weekdays the entrance ticket is Rp 7,000 but on holidays it is Rp 10,000.

The future development of Kayangan island, said Abd Gaffar, will still be in harmony with the local character of the island in combination with international nuances. The number of buildings will be reduced as foreign tourists prefer a more natural environment.

"Kayangan island will be made an environmentally friendly open space with lots of parks," Gaffar added.

Ika, a visitor to the island often accompanies foreign tourists, said that foreign tourists in particular liked to savor the white sand and open space where they could see Makassar from a distance: the lights gleaming at night and fishermen's boats sailing to and fro between large vessels on their way to dock at Soekarno-Hatta seaport.

"If the renovation of this island includes the putting up of many buildings, I'm sure foreign tourists will not come here. So, the renovation of this island must be done in such a way that it looks as natural as possible," said Ika.