Pauperization in Bali

foto by gembong ismadi

Sayu, just called her with that name, leaved her village together with her husband, to seek fortune to Denpasar. They were heavy-hearted to leave their only one son who was just six year-old. They trusted the grandmother to take care of their child. One of a thousand reasons they went to work in Denpasar was, because they didn’t have large garden or rice field in their village. Their parents “just” inherited them garden 15 acre in width, which could accommodate some of banana cluster, some rambutan trees, and some cocoa trees. Before working in Denpasar, besides taking care of the garden, the husband sometimes worked as a construction coolie. While Sayu took care of two pigs and a cow which were got by “ngadas” from the neighbor. In short, this married couple was a portrait of poor farmer in general in Bali, although actually there was no too much problem with their income in the village. As common expression in village, that was the most important thing was the kitchen blew the smoke, that’s enough.

But every day this married couple thought, that now their child had begun to school and grew up. The life cost and the school needs of their child would more than before. There was no just to make the kitchen blew the smoke, but the continuity of life would demand more properties.

Half year working as a cleaning service in a Japanese restaurant in South Denpasar, in which the working time was eight hours per day, Sayu got salary Rp. 400.000 per month. Without any allowance, she just got once lunch in restaurant, plus the working uniform. Meanwhile, her husband worked in another place with income Rp. 700.000 per month plus once lunch allowance.

If those were summed, their income per month was Rp. 1.100.000. Then, that income was used for room fee (that too far from comfortable) Rp. 200 thousand, breakfast and dinner for two persons Rp. 360 thousand per month, detergent, soap, tooth paste, shampoo, face powder, lipstick, deodorant, mosquito repellent and water for two persons per month was Rp. 150 thousand, then was also used for bed credit, bed sheet and pillow Rp. 200 thousand, so the income of this married couple remained Rp. 190.000! It was not yet used for petrol of their old-motorcycle that was used for working.

In Kuta tourism center, a boy who admitted from Seririt regency, Singaraja, worked as a waiter of a star-hotel restaurant. In that place, he and teens other employees had worked for four years. Now, just called the boy as Budi, “had succeeded” to get salary in the amount of Rp. 850.000 per month (just a little over the UMK of Badung ( the minimun salary of Badung regency), plust transport charge Rp. 100.000. Totally, Budi earned Rp. 950.000 per month.

From the total salary, Budi should pay his room Rp. 300.000 per month. Then, the cost of his eating and cigarette a month Rp.420.000. (Budi just bought food once a day, because he could eat in his working place once). Besides that, Budi also spent about Rp. 150.000 a month for other needs such as washing tools and bathing and water supply in his boarding house. So, Budi’s salary remained Rp. 80.000 a month.

It was not also different from Nengah from Jembrana. This father of a three year-old girl worked as a currier in a goods-carrying industry (well known as cargo) in Denpasar, owned by a businessman from Jakarta. As a permanent employee, Nengah received his main income Rp. 600.000. Incentive Rp. 150.000, transport charge Rp. 350.000, service charge regularly Rp. 75.000 and rent-motorcycle fee Rp. 50.000. Totally, Nengah got Rp. 1.225.000,-.

Same as other lower class, Nengah should also pay the room Rp. 300.000 a month. He should look for rather large room because he took his wife and child together with him. For eating needs (daily cooking and milk for the child), this small family spent money for daily expense Rp. 500.000 on an average a month. The cost of washing tools and bathing and mosquito repellent was Rp. 150.000 a month. There was still monthly outcome for paying the electricity and water jointly in the boarding house Rp. 30.000 a month and unpredictably child-care fee was Rp. 100.000 on an average a month. Therefore, roughly the income of this small family remained Rp. 145.000.

The questions are, how should Sayu meet the daily needs and her child school fee in the village with money Rp. 190.000 a month? What kind of prosperous family could Nengah and his family build with remaining money Rp. 145.000? What kind of future would Budi face if his pocket only remained Rp. 80.000?

They could not even cover the end of the month properly, much less a future. Because as a human being that coincidentally born and lived in Bali, in fact every month they should also spend for social fee like attending invitation in relatives and friends who had ceremonial feast, religion ceremony in family and in the village, and the cost of a piece of suitable cloth. It was not yet the cost for toothache medicine, headache, traffic ticket fee, administration fee in the district as a new comer, parking fee and other fees.

With income which is not so much a month, as society, tens thousand Sayu, teens thousand Budi and teens thousand Nengah, absolutely cannot yet feel the freedom and sovereignty in their life. They do not even have ability and freedom for repairing plaited bamboo’s wall of their parents’ house, much less hoping that they can give something for developing their village.

Then, everyone can have opinion, that the job vacancies and job opportunities which as if are created and opened by the tourism capitalist with its all aspects and effects in Bali, are not a blessing like what is thought all this time. It is not different from the presence of colonizers, who clearly ignored the ethic of life and the human right in this independent world, because they apparently did not have commitment for changing the condition in their surrounding, from poor and dull became better. The job opportunities that are created, in fact are just able to accommodate the sweat of the workers just for developing and increasing their industries. So, what is the difference between the presences of the future’s hope youths who work in the crotch of the tourism capitalists’ octopuses and the Nusantara’s societies who previously worked under the boot of colonizers?

This is a serious offense of human right that continuously happens in this God’s island. Is there anyone who realizes it? Maybe no one! Because the elites just keep quiet and take part enjoying all of that. Because the societies also keep quiet while dazzled by the shining of colorful lamps in star – hotels which who knows the owner , mesmerized by the magic of escalators and lifts in malls which who knows the owner, surprised by the line of luxurious cars along the street from Kuta to Sanur which who knows the owner.

In this context, really, Bali has buried the human right happily with small changes that flow from bikinis of the tourists who come to buy the twilight in the beach, who come to buy the fresh air in the mountain, who come to buy the glance of legong dancers in the dim corners of star – hotel yard. But no one can change it.

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translated from indonesian firs by yudi ariani

Bali, Poverty and Pauperization

Foto: Eka Prasetya

The refusal of local authenticity and sovereignty in the development of Bali to force it becomes exclusive, is the starting point of poverty and pauperization in social aspect, economy and social culture, even Bali civilization structure generally. Forcing absurd ideas that imprisons Bali into the absurd exoticism all this time, clearly dwarfs Bali. Bali has been just like a bonsai in every aspect. It is beautiful and enchanted, but it can do nothing.

One of reason that we don’t want to admit, why the bomb tragedy in Kuta few years ago made Bali paralyze immediately, is because Bali is poor! At that moment, when the only one asset that Bali still had, that was “safety and peacefulness”, was suddenly messed up by the terrorist’s bomb, Bali was directly in agony. It is because “safety and peacefulness”, the only one asset in this modernization era becomes object sold by Bali to support its societies although it just comes from some small changes of the tourists.

So, when the only one asset was completely crushed, immediately we realized, that we, that Bali, didn’t have anything! Nothing could be sold to make the tourists come and brought their small change for us. Moving to another job, that was impossible! It was because the land for farming had been narrower changed by golf-course, hotel, villa, supermarket, shop, etc. Building a factory, that was impossible. Having a business was also impossible because all places for business had been owned by the outside capitalists. Selling something in a small range on the edge of the street was also difficult, because the street had been filled up by vendors from out of island in which when Bali still lived in safe and peace, we accepted them with smile and thank.

Yes, the reason that also makes the mental of Bali down, just because a bomb exploded in Kuta tourism area, is because the terrorist’s bomb makes Bali aware about its poverty! It is difficult to be objected, that poverty is always easier to make us panic, inferior, and then paranoid. While, the victims of the savage terrorist in that tragedy, actually had enough crushed our heart, after that (as Balinese that are truly spiritualist) we fully surrendered to god almighty. That the dead people certainly go to the appropriate place for them. But, we who are still alive, have to think and struggle very hard (even if it is needed, by allowing every ways), to continue the life more easily as much as we can every day.

But, how can our life become easier every day if we don’t have a foundation for that? And that is it, which happens to the people in this God’s Island in which its bright sprays out to foreign continents. That, as the societies of our nation, Balinese people who live in Bali, actually don’t have better chance than the marginal who live outside in hinterland valley and gloomy hill of Irian, in dry land of Madura and NTT, in the cruelty of Jakarta, the metropolitan city, Surabaya, Makasar and other big cities.

“At the moment, how small the incident that disturbs “the purity of good name” Bali, will easily paralyze Bali like what happened after the bomb tragedy in Kuta. It is because the social economy of Balinese has been taken over and built by the shareholders without the right and proper foundation. Not on the brittle foundation, but without right and proper foundation!” that was the opinion of one of Balinese’ son, Wayan Ratmitha. The reason is, Bali is forced to be elite by ignoring the authenticity of every local aspect, social-culture-economy aspects.

“What is meant by the authenticity of Bali, is Bali with its unity and local sovereignty is allowed to grow, wake up and walk with Balinese natural belief together. It is not in many kinds of form like what happened in few last decades,” said Ratmitha.
The Paralysis of Village Potential

This refusal of local authenticity in the development of Bali to force it become elite that precisely create poverty by poverty in social and economic aspect and also Balinese culture generally. Forcing absurd ideas that imprisons Bali into the absurd exoticism all this time, clearly dwarfs Bali. “So far, Bali has been become bonsai by the elite who collaborate with the greedy capitalist, whether they are local or central elite. Bali is beautiful and enchanted, but it can do nothing. That is bonsai,” continued the activist of Komunitas Kertas Budaya (Jembrana-Bali) pessimistically.

All this time, the exoticism that succeed to be built tidily by the elite and the capitalist has absorb many human resources from all over villages in Bali to go surrendering their faith to the only one industry, that is tourism, that unfortunately is centered only in one place in Bali. The young generations of the villages in Bali are proud of their selves, if they can be gardener, cleaning service in hotel, waiter for the tourist, dress maker in garments owned by the foreigner or surfing board holder in Southern Badung. While, at their house, in their villages, they neglect their garden and rice field or they sell them to the new rich people coming from certain places who have sold their land for the infrastructure of tourism industry. People who leave their rice field in their village are still lucky sometimes, because their parents have to rent someone to work on their rice field. Especially for the people who leave a garden in their village, so the garden finally becomes underbrush area or wild grasses. The potential of the village slowly and surely becomes paralyzed.

By using agricultural modernization as the reason, previously, from their desk in luxurious building, the elite enticed the farmers in all over villages in Bali to plant their garden with export commodity plants. Coconut trees, mango, sawo (kind of tropical fruit), durian, ceroring (kind of tropical fruit , in bahasa Indonesia it is called duku), kepundung (kind of tropical fruit), etc were felled and changed by vanilla, glove, cocoa or imported fruit plants. Because of the enticement that too wonderful and also without sufficient socialization about the classification of appropriate plants to be planted in their garden, not all farmer could feel the crops. While, the farmers who were unlucky because their land was not appropriate to be planted by glove, cocoa, etc, just bit their fingers.

So when the tourists needed to eat fruits, immediately the capitalists exported oranges from China, apple from New Zealand, grape from Bangkok, rice from Siam, soy bean from America, and so on.

Balinese people that their daily life are full of many rituals in which its concept is always in accordance with nature, so the equipments used to conduct the rituals also come from nature, have to buy those equipments outside the island. Bananas have been rare to be found in Bali because the local banana trees have gone by plant pest as the effect of the raging cultivation of species of banana as the result of crossbreeding conducted by the agricultural experts, a few days ago. Fruits for offerings, want or not, we have to use imported fruits that nowadays can easily be found from market to the small shops on the edge of the street. Whereas, the price of those fruits are more expensive and are not equal to the result of selling cocoa seeds, vanilla, glove flowers that all apparently depends on the need of global market.

So that is it, the exoticism of Bali which nowadays is only absurd exoticism, instant, tasteless and brittle. Whereas, previously, something that made Bali brighten, something that made Bali as “Morning of the World” (said a friend who cites Nehru), was the life in villages that became the authenticity of Bali itself. Bali with its people that grew naturally with the rice field and subak (Balinese irrigation) together, with corn garden , kesela (Balinese word for sweet potato), palawija (crops planted as second crop in dry season), and local fruits like kepundung, ceroring, katulampo (kind of tropical fruit), poh gandarasa (kind of mango in Bali), poh golek (kind of mango in Bali), poh gedang (kind of mango in Bali), durian, mangosteen, biyu buluh (kind of banana in Bali), biyu raja (kind of banana in Bali), biyu ketip (kind of banana in Bali), biyu gedangsaba (kind of banana in Bali). It is not Bali which is developed instantly by following concept of many kinds of imported fast food.

Because if we want to be honest, till now Bali still needs corn, kesela, kesawi (Balinese word for cassava), undis (kind of nuts that is classified as vegetable in Bali ), kepundung, ceroring, katulampo, poh gandarasa, poh golek, poh gedang, durian, mangosteen, biyu buluh, biyu raja, biyu ketip, biyu gedangsaba. And, how ridiculous if now Bali should buy all of them outside.

The Systematic Pauperization
What is explained above is also a pauperization process that runs systematically in Bali. That is actually because; the systematical pauperization itself empties into a point in which (in this case) Bali finally depends on the kindness of the outsider. Now, Bali depends on the kindness of the farmers from Java in order to get local stuff for eating and for conducting tradition and religion ceremony. Bali depends on the kindness of the capitalists in tourism and business centers in order that its young generation can be a labor or a coolie. Bali depends on the kindness of the croupiers in order that they want to buy the glove, cocoa seeds and vanilla fruits from the farmers that is not so much. Bali depends on the kindness of the brokers of advanced country in order that the craft made by its societies like wood-carvings, statue, to silk-screening T-shirt can be exported with very cheap price. Yah, it is better than becomes rotten or eaten by termites, everything is accepted sincerely.

In the case of employment, the dependence of Bali on the outsider who unfortunately is nothing but the capitalist is also extremely huge. It is because the magic of tourism industry which is too glamour, has killed the societies’ belief to provide their selves with good and proper education. Almost all parents in Bali push their children to finish their school until senior high school only. Afterwards, they should go to tourism centers to be a coolie. It doesn’t matter, whether they only (as what is said before) become gardener or cleaning service in hotel, waiter, shopkeeper, dress maker in garments, alcohol bottle taker in bars, sandpaper and shoe polisher, whatever. The most important is they can close to the tourists, the case closed!

Why do the parents choose that way for their children? It is because the school fee is extremely high. And the high cost cannot be pierced by the agriculture crops that has been ignored so long, cannot be pierced by the income as a coolie. So the management of economy in Bali is wholly managed by the human resources from out of Bali that certainly come with impassioned capitalistic desire, which is the same as El Nina and Katrina storms in Pacific Ocean. The income or high salary runs outside, while small change goes to local worker. “If we talk about all of this, whether we just aware or because of frustration, it will never stop! That Bali is poor. From the beginning, Bali has been poor, and then Bali is made become poor continuously, so the poverty become having its descendant in Bali. There is only one solution, the willingness of the elite together with the societies in Bali to change totally the development regulation that all this time are oriented to bourgeois, back to the local authenticity and sovereignty of Bali itself!” Thus, some of Balinese young thinkers mumble. Only mumble!

Moding, Beginning 2008

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