Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Ngajet Ngapér, featured in Bali Post, Sunday, 23rd May 2009,
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
Global Crisis
The palm toddy stall has been a bit quiet these days. The income decreased to 50%. It might be due to the global crisis.
“I Wayan Bungut Aungan has been fired from the garment company where he worked. So now he could not even afford a kilo of rice, let alone palm toddy,” says Ni Luh Makin Digosok Makin Sip while thinking of her loyal customers who disappear one by one.
I Made Belog Magandong to be a parliament member. Now he suffers a lot of debt as he owes many parties. He still owes the printing company one hundred million Rupiahs (for posters and brochures). The money he had used for donation to the village and for ‘money politics’ was borrowed from the village bank. And the money in the bank actually belongs to the villagers. And Made donated back to the village. Besides, he also owes the cafés and the palm toddy stall as he treated street kids, vigilantes and village youths before.
“He is not able to pay his debt and all he can do is just stay home. He feels very ashamed” Ni Luh further says.
I Ketut Keluarga Berencana’s wife has just delivered twin babies. Now they’ve got four. I Ketut is a kind of ‘fertile’ man although he doesn’t’ know anything about condom nor other contraceptives.
I Nyoman Musang Berbulu Ayam has become a priest. So he is not allowed to drink palm toddy and rice wine anymore. It is believed that they bring negative impact. But a little bit will be still okay, he once said.
“The world is suffering a global recession: hence we have to be smart in picking up job, that is a job that not many people can do. The worse the crisis is, the more people are trying to be more religious; they are busy praying that the God will not take their prosperous life,” I Nyoman said once before becoming a priest.
Probably as he enjoys very much being a priest that he is too busy in giving services to people, he now suffers from haemorrhoids. So he will not allowed to drink palm toddy and rice wine for the rest of his life.
Now the palm toddy stall only still has two customers; I Made Aud Kelor and I Wayan Ngajét Ngapér. I Made is a broker for a lot of things; land, motor-bike, cars, job position and even women. If somebody wants to sell something, I Made will try to look for a buyer.
“There’s one thing I can’t be a broker; a place in heaven. I have yet to meet Sang Suratma yet, so I don’t have a Memorandum of Understanding yet,” he further says.
I Wayan is a greedy tour guide. While his fellow tour-guides bring their guests to Besakih Temple, Candidasa, Bedugul, and other places of interest, he will bring his guests to artshops, galleries, restaurants instead. So from morning till evening he suggests his guests buy souvenirs (statues, paintings, fans, masks, etc).
“I will get commission once I bring in guests to an artshop. And when they buy something from the artshop, I will get more. If I know that the guests come to Bali for the first time, I will mark up the price, so I get more,” says I Wayan.
So 70% of the money is taken by I Wayan. It means that only I Wayan and the artshops’ owners are getting rich; the guests are ripped off and the craftsmen only get a little.
