Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Kropak’, in Bali Post, Sunday, 15th February, 2009,
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
Just Sell it!
Again we are talking about the lake!
Everybody gets bored talking about the investor who wanted to buy the lake. They know what the ending of this kind of story.
“Investors always get what they want,” says I Wayan Putus Asa.
“Of course, have you seen any project cancelled in Bali, although they build in holy areas,” he adds.
Serangan Island has been filled, 400 hectares of land in Pecatu has been changed into a resort, Tanah Lot Temple has become a nice view for a golf resort, and some villas have been built there.
Investors are smart people. They will wait until everybody (media, environmentalist, traditional leaders, etc.) forget about a certain issue and then they will be back.
Investors always get what they want. As they are smart, they will give jobs to young people in the village, as security, they will give the villagers some fund to renovate the Kahyangan temples, the banjar will be given some fund to make a new kul-kul tower. The village bank will be given loan, etc.
At the end, everybody will be quiet, they will seal their mouth. If the investors can be generous like this for 10 years, their status can even be raised.
“When the investors help the village build boundary wall, the villagers speak high Balinese to them, and they even invite them to village meeting, they are treated as if they were high caste persons,” I Made Frustasi Nyakit Ati replies.
Actually, they don’t have energy to talk about investors anymore, nor about the land that are kept on being sold. No matter how strong is your voice, but they will keep selling the lands, the lakes, and the forest will be exploited.
“Today everybody is getting more selfish. If they don’t sell their land, they can not be rich. If the officials do not sign the permit, they would not get the money to buy new cars,” I Made adds.
“We are just common people. We don’t really have time to talk about environmental preservation nor about Bali’s future. We don’t even have money to buy a small thing. Let the experts and high ranking official handle it,” says I Wayan.
It seems that the community get bored talking about this. Nobody comments. Everybody is busy with themselves; they are thinking about their own debts and problem.
Some of them got fired due to global crisis; some ca not go to cockfighting as their roosters suffer from avian flue; some of them are in deep depression thinking about their bank loan that has just been finished for making campaign posters (they want to be a legislative members); some get stress as their salaries are taken buy call girls who have gone somewhere without a trace.
“But, if we are just quiet, it might be a shame for us to be Balinese as we are famous for our ‘Tri Hita Karana’ concept,” says I Putu Sing Payu-Payu.
Well, now somebody is talking about ‘Tri Hita Karana’; the relation between men and God, men and men, and men and the environment. What a big talk!
“Why don’t we just let investors buy everything we have; the lake, the mountain; we can even rent Pura Besakih out so they can build a hotel there,” I Kadek Capek Deh argues.
If we sell everything, or if we are too hunger for money or luxury things, at the end we will have nothing as everything will have gone.
Glossary:
- I Wayan Putus Asa: a person who easily despair
- Kahyangan temples: public temple
- banjar: community
- I Made Frustasi Nyakit Ati: a person easily get frustrated
- I Kadek Capek Deh: A slow learner
