Rethinking and reshaping Bali after the attack

Ida Ayu Agung Mas, Contributor, Gianyar, Bali

The bombing of Kuta, Bali's most popular tourist destination, shocked almost all Balinese, who are very proud of their island's beauty, prosperity and safety.

"The paradise island of Bali is safe", says a tourism slogan that had, for so long, epitomized the Balinese, known as a peaceful and tolerant society.

All of a sudden, the bombing abruptly awakened them, forcing them to face a bleak reality and swallow a bitter pill.

Black Saturday", disturbed the emotion of "civilized" people, not only in Bali but also the whole world.

The powerful destruction caused by the bombing has destroyed nothing but the pride and dreams of the Balinese, especially those who rarely view Kuta as their own.

The famous and glittering Kuta, now in ruins, is actually a "faraway" place for the majority of local people who happily work the rice fields or live on the slopes of mountainous areas -- spending their days engaged in straightforward and regular activities, praying and coming together at village community centers, strongly believing that their gods and ancestors would always guide and protect them from harmful influences.

When the bombs destroyed part of Legian, Kuta, these unsophisticated people could not comprehend why such a bad thing could have happened on their spiritually "protected" soil.

The metropolis of Kuta, developed as Bali's top entertainment center from the early '80s, had never been part of these ordinary people's lives. The area had become highly popular, mostly with foreign surfers and tourists, especially those from Australia. Opulent tourists found Kuta too crowded and preferred to spend their holiday at quieter locations.

Just ask any elderly Balinese, particularly those living in remote villages, whether they frequently visited Kuta. Most of them might never have been there at all.

On the other hand, local youths viewed Kuta as their ticket to a successful and prosperous life. Kuta became their utmost dream. They were seeking something they could not find in their hometowns or villages.

Compared with humble Balinese villages, Kuta was indeed a prosperous place, filled with "beautiful" and sports-loving people, but it had become alienated from its locals.

In the perspective of Bali's development programs, Kuta is part of the wealthy regency of Badung, home to simple cottages and star-rated hotels, restaurants, cafes, discotheques and boutiques selling local- and foreign-labeled goods.

Kuta will continue to grow. It grew rapidly in the post-reform period, after the World Trade Center terrorist attack and will probably do so again after the Oct. 12 Kuta bombing.

Placing Kuta on the Balinese conceptual map would be very difficult.

Various analyses have been made to find out possible mistakes in the development of Kuta and its adjacent areas as the island's prominent tourist destination. The rapid growth of Kuta has occurred beyond both control and compromise with awig-awig (local, traditional regulations).

As a tourist destination, Kuta has greatly contributed to the degradation of Bali island. In the era of regional autonomy, Kuta had become a bad example of how tourism in other parts of the island could be developed.

The poor development of Kuta has also clearly reflected the weak and inconsistent policies implemented by the current decision makers.

At present, entire communities and locations on the island have suffered badly from the Kuta bombing.

The reconstruction of Bali's existing development programs can only be carried out gradually because of the island's strong dependence on tourism-related businesses.

Isolating Bali from outside influences -- like migrants, tourists and investors -- will not make the situation better than it is now.

The big questions remain unanswered. As of now, most people in Bali would like to see and hear real action being taken by the local authorities in dealing with and considering the Kuta issue.

So far, their efforts have been limited to receiving condolences from sympathetic parties, showering flowers on the bombsites and accompanying visiting guests from domestic and foreign institutions. What else are they (government officials) doing?

Kuta was just an example of their flawed approach to development projects. From now on, all components of Balinese society must stand side by side to rebuild the shattered Bali in a wiser and more professional way.

One other important point: Bali is much more than just Kuta.

-- The writer is a lecturer in tourism at Udayana University, Denpasar, and founder of a village-based sustainable tourism body, SuaBali Foundation.