Tragedy unites Bali's multiethnic population

Tragedy unites Bali's multiethnic population

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Bali Governor I Dewa Made Beratha arrived at the bomb site in
Kuta shortly after the bomb exploded at 11:15 p.m. last Saturday.
He immediately took over command to coordinate the police and
local leaders to evacuate the victims of the tragic bombing. At 2
a.m., the governor rushed to Sanglah General Hospital, where he
helped coordinate efforts to deal with badly burned victims. He
said very little during the chaotic hours; he just worked and
worked, lending a calm confidence to the outnumbered hospital
staff. He has been in and out of the hospital since Saturday
night to encourage hospital staff and comfort the victims and
families. He has barely slept since the fatal explosion. Looking
desperately tired, the governor shared his feelings and future
plans for Bali with The Jakarta Post and Kompas daily.

Question: How did you feel to see such an incident in Bali?

Answer: I was ... terribly sad that this happened in a peaceful
land like Bali. But, it has already occurred. I give my deepest
condolences to the victims and their families. I would really
appreciate it to have everybody on my side. It is really ... a
really tragic event.

Will the bombing tragedy instill religious enmity between
Hindu followers and other religious beliefs, especially the
Muslim minority?

If the perpetrators of the bombing had any intention to
provoke Hindu and Muslim, or other faiths, conflict in Bali, they
completely failed. This tragedy has actually united all people in
Bali, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity or religion. As
you can see, all religious leaders and their followers have
worked closely together to offer what they can to help those
affected by the tragic incident. A series of religious ceremonies
following the incident was participated in by all religious
congregations.

However, we have heard that some Balinese traditional security
guards (pecalang) had conducted a sweeping operation against
immigrants, especially Muslims from Java and other islands in
Indonesia. What do you think about this?

That was a bad rumor indeed. Only five hours after the
bombing, I invited all the leaders of bendesa adat (traditional
customary village) and noted leaders of the five major religions
in Bali to sit together to view the event as a real human
tragedy.

We should not blame any people of certain religion or
ethnicity. It is not the right time for us to argue about who is
responsible for this barbaric bomb attack. The Indonesian police
and a team of international investigators have been doing their
work comprehensively. Traditional and religious leaders have a
strong responsibility to stand by their people -- to calm them
down, to stand by them and to prevent them from doing harmful
things that will exacerbate the situation.

The bombing attack has certainly ruined the image of Bali as
one of the safest and favorite tourist destinations in Indonesia.
What will you do to improve the shattered face of Bali?

Yes, of course. The incident will adversely affect our tourism
and other businesses like textile and garments. It will also
cause huge unemployment problems since 30 percent of the
province's human resources are now working in direct tourism-
related businesses.

We have already anticipated such a bleak situation. But, we
must not just sit doing nothing. We have to join forces -- people
in the tourist industry are trying to contact their counterparts
overseas to repromote Bali.

I have already sent e-mails to tourism authorities worldwide
to plead with them to rescind their travel bans against Bali and
Indonesia in general. The Japanese travel agencies have responded
fast, saying they could continue sending holidaymakers to Bali.
That would be a relief. Last night (Thursday night), the Indian
ambassador to Indonesia also confirmed that the Indian Cultural
Festival in Bali (opened on Friday night) would go on as
scheduled.

What are your short- and long-term programs to rebuild Bali?

Physically, it will take only a matter of months to renovate
the destroyed buildings. We have received full support from the
central government to start a reconstruction project on the
affected site and its surrounding areas.

But to regain its status as a safe and convenient tourist and
business center will take a long, long time. The Balinese people
are still in shock; foreigners are suffering from trauma. But, I
am optimistic that if the investigation arrives at the right
conclusion really finds the perpetrators, people around the world
could think that Indonesia is very serious in dealing with
barbaric terrorism. I am sure holidaymakers will again consider
visiting Bali again.

As for the Balinese people, I also urge them to expand their
businesses outside the tourism industry, which is very vulnerable
to global events.

In the post-bombing period, how will the local government
protect the area from any other threats and possible danger?

We are now enforcing tightened security checks in several
entries such as at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Benoa
harbor in Sanur, Padang Bai harbor in Karang Asem (East Bali) and
Gilimanuk in West Bali. Tourist centers like Kuta, Nusa Dua,
Sanur and other public places will also be guarded both by
traditional guards pecalang and the police.

But, this will be separate from the operation to control the
influx of non-Balinese.