BALI, Indonesia – While driving in deep Bali countryside, I learned from our Grand Hyatt driver that President Megawati Sukarnoputri, whom he fondly refers to as "Mega", is part Balinese. This part of her ancestry comes from her father, the late authoritarian and flamboyant leader Sukarno, who not only came from Bali, he made the province a political and personal showcase during his rule of Indonesia. The driver pointed to the Sukarno palace built in the 50s and perched on the hill above Pura Tirta Empul. The Palace, as it was then simply called, gave him a fine view of the bathing pools where women bathed then. "Mega" has nothing to do with "the Palace" and has moved her more modest Balinese retreat elsewhere.
Whatever your politics may be, the fact is the Balinese paid dearly for Sukarno’s affection for them. More than 100,000 Balinese were said to have been killed in the purge that accompanied his downfall. If, like me, you should visit Bali and enjoy first-class standards in hotel and leisure facilities, remember it was Sukarno who laid the foundations for tourism in this island, restoring its grandeur as the home for Indonesian dancers and artists. In fact he started the construction of big-name hotels that now dot the island resort by building the first - the Bali Beach Hotel – with Japanese reparations money and as an aside he also met the beauteous Dewi Sukarno while nightclubbing in Tokyo. His fiery Marxist-inspired speeches may run contrary to his lifestyle but he touched a raw nerve in Balinese society. Unfortunately, inspired oratory pitting the rich against the poor also later gave rise to an orgy of violence after an abortive coup in Jakarta in 1965 that was blamed on the Communists and victimized so many Balinese.
How the Sukarno daughter will fare remains to be seen. It is clear though that despite the lessons that should have been learned during those terror days, the Balinese have retained that fondness for the Sukarnos, whether father or daughter. They remain hopeful of better days and were jubilant when "Mega" became president. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. Ordinary Balinese on the streets say the volume of tourism has fallen about 75 percent. For an economy that relies almost wholly on visiting tourists, this is catastrophic. The trial of Tommy Suharto provides a temporary distraction but unless the Sukarno II government is serious about enforcing the law and making its justice system work equally for everyone, "Mega" will follow the fate of her father.
As a tourist, I was disturbed about the behavior of Balinese hustlers at Besakih, which is described in guidebooks as "the most venerated site in Bali situated on the slopes of Gunung Agung, the holiest and highest mountain on the island." It is without doubt the major tourist attraction of Bali, drawing thousands of visitors who expect at least a semblance of religiosity in the surroundings of the complex of temples. It is reputed to have been built before recorded history. Unfortunately it was the most disappointing part of our trip to Bali. We were warned that the hustlers can get rough. Self-styled guides calling themselves guardians of the temple harass tourists and warn that you can’t approach the temples without them and the corresponding fee, of course. To which the best reply is just to carry on. They don’t let go. We sat for a while on a bench after a long walk up the hill but were shooed away when a horde of Spaniards arrived. They might lose business, the vendors said if we sat on the bench. Still the architecture is impressive — the same spirit that could be found in other parts of Asia touched by Hindu culture.
Rude Balinese guides are the least of Megawati’s problems. She has her hands full to keep a difficult balancing act to survive the pressure from domestic economic difficulties as well as respond to America’s determined campaign against terrorism. This requires Indonesia’s active participation and will not be easy considering it is the world’s most populous Muslim nation and possibly a base of the now scattered al-Qaeda operations. Sources in the White House said once President Bush was so disappointed with Megawati’s response to his campaign against terrorism he called her a hypocrite. But that seems to be over now with the Americans finally coming around to accept that it would better to work through Indonesian law enforcement agencies rather than deploy troops as it did to the Philippines. That was the main business of director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert Mueller when he flew to Jakarta last week and was said to have began the work with his counterparts almost immediately. On this point, the Indonesians are not very happy about reports in Manila on the arrest of the three Indonesian terrorists. The newspaper,
REPUBLIKA, called Manila’s reporting defamatory and hoped "some clarification will be made." So far the evidence according to the report is vague and flimsy. "If they are found guilty, so be it. But if the facts show that they are innocent and have been caught up in some sort of dark game being played merely for the sake of a country’s prestige, the Indonesian government must defend them, " the editorial continued.
Contrast between Indonesia and the Philippines is not flattering to the Philippines. Interestingly, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz may not have meant it but in praising Indonesia’s reluctance to allow American troops into the country, he downgrades the Philippines. In a recent interview with IHT, he said "There is a deep sense of national pride and independence on the part of Indonesians. If we want their cooperation, and their cooperation is essential to our success, we can’t look like we’re interfering in their internal affairs." The inference is that the Philippines does not have the same deep sense of national pride and independence. As far as most countries in Southeast Asia are concerned, the policy is cooperation in the campaign against terrorism, yes; but American troops on their soil, no. A subject of intense debate among senior officials, it has been finally acknowledged that "a more nuanced approach to Indonesia is needed", White House sources said.
On a personal note. Politics and polemics apart, I enjoyed my holiday in Bali, compliments of Veronica Pedrosa and her charming son, 2-year old Gabriel who reminded me constantly,
"Lola, be quiet and gentle, we are in Bali." Whatever he meant by that he did not explain. The high point of our stay was an upgrade at Hotel Tjampuhan in Ubud, the artistic center of Bali. Tjampuhan is the old Dutch spelling of Campuhan, and this very stylish hotel built on slopes cheek by jowl with a rainforest. It was also the site of the home of Walter Spies, a German artist who found artistic inspiration in Bali. A larger-than-life figure, he singlehandedly built an artistic community centered on Tjampuhan where he built a small paradise. It has terraced steps to the Wos Barat river gully below, and views of the temple of Pura Gunung Lebah and the Campuhan ridge beyond. We wanted a room closer to the lobby but miracle of miracles the only available room was the cottage of Walter Spies itself. This is usually booked months ahead but we were lucky. Spies devoted his time to the study and practice of Balinese art and music and making a small paradise out of the grounds that is now the Tjampuhan Hotel. He designed the oval swimming pool still in use today. It is filled with spring water from a nearby hillside through bamboo pipes. In its golden days, Spies would hold poolside parties and give concerts on his grand piano. People remember him entertaining local and expatriate artists, musicians and anthropologists as well as visiting celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward and Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress. He sponsored two local
gamelan orchestras and was the first Westerner to attempt to record Balinese music. Together with his friend, the American composer Colin Mcphee, he set about transposing gamelan music for Western instruments, and with another associate Katherine Mershon, he adapted an existing ritual drama, the sanghyang, and came up with the enduringly popular
kecak dance which we saw on our first night in Tjampuhan. Spies was an avid collector of Balinese art, and became one of the founding members of the Pita Maha arts group in 1936,holding weekly meetings in his Campuhan home. There’s currently only one Walter Spies painting on show in Ubud and that’s at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Pengosekan.
On the home front. Back from Bali, I was specially incensed to read about how Vice-President Guingona was snubbed at Monterrey, I had to add this paragraph. DFA officials are right to insist on an official apology from his counterpart. Although we have had the same brush with the inefficiency of Mexican officials during a recent trip, there is more to what happened in Monterrey than meets the eye. If the Mexicans were so arrogant not to bend "the rules" at the time despite the fact that Guingona was representing the President of the Philippines in the meeting, why should we bend "the rules" now? The occasion may look trivial but we are talking here of symbols and the harm done to our country will be incalculable if we let it pass. We will be regarded as push-overs, people without backbone who will not defend themselves but are ever so eager to please and pacify. Only an apology from the highest circles will remove the suspicion that there was more to the Guingona snub other than an honest mistake.
My e-mail is
cpedrosa@edsamail.com.ph