Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Gae’, in Bali Post, Sunday, 15th March 2009,
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
Job
In the era of global crisis like today, what sort of job do you think is suitable?
Formerly, a tour guide was an interesting job. Wherever you took your guests shopping, you got commission, no matter they bought something or not. Your commission might exceeds a one month salary of a university professor.
What about now? Let alone commission, you are already lucky if you have your turn to take tourists. Rich countries such as USA and Australia are now in trouble facing the global crisis. So where will the tourists be coming from?
If less and less tourists coming, more and more hotels will go bankrupt, more people will jobless, including the tour guides.
“The best job now is to be a ‘caleg’ (a House Representative member). To be a caleg, what you need is a ‘thick’ make up, thick moustache and hold your hands together in the chest. Wherever you go you have to talk about ‘change’. But all people realize that when they are appointed, what will really ‘change' is only their own income (big income),” says I Made Apatis Apolitis.
Everybody shakes their head. Even they often get drunk, they know that it’s an embarrassing thing.
“Even it’s easy, the problem is that you need to have lots of money and you don’t need to be shy. In fact, I don’t’ have the money and I am a kind of shy person, you know, “ says I Ketut Lek Lek Payu Sing Megelekan.
If you can’t be a caleg, other job that you can choose is to be a balian (shaman).
To be a balian, you don’t need a special education, nor certificate. You just need to be able ‘in trance’, and brave enough to deal with leak (black magic thing), brave enough to talk ‘bullshit’ and have holy water available from at least five spooky temples,” says I Made.
To be a shaman, you don’t need to be very good in healing people. It will be just fine if you can heal one or two of your patients, and you will be famous. If you do so, more patients will be coming.
“In case the patient can not be healed, you just tell them that the gods do not allow yet. You know, they will never dare enough to protest the gods. Cured or not cured the patients, you still get your money.”
If the patients get well, they will come to your house regularly to bring you something.
“”What a good job, you don’t need to ask for the money for your service nor tell your patients about how much the cost you ask for your service like the doctors do. They will just pay you.”
Everybody shakes their heads. It’s a good job, they think. But some don’t quite agree.
“What if the real leyak show up and kill us?”
“If so, let’s be a farmer. As the tourism sector is declining, let’s back to rice field like our ancestors did. You know, organic agriculture is promising at the moment.”
“It’s easy to talk. We get used to eating pizza and ice cream, work with computer and wear clean shirt and tie and now you ask us to work with shovel. No, it can’t be. Our prestige will surely decline, says I Ketut.
It is really difficult these days. Everyone wants an easy job but earns big money and with no risk. This makes unemployment is getting high. It’s not because no job available but it is because a matter of ‘prestige’.
Glossary:
- I Made Apatis Apolitis: not really interested in politics
- I Ketut Lek Lek Payu Sing Megelekan: a shy person
