Bali: ' An Australian writes'
penpusher | 14.10.2002 10:18
I've been to Bali too
by lisafur 10:44pm Sun Oct 13 '02 (Modified on 6:47pm Mon Oct 14 '02) article#35159
lisafaa@yahoo.com
A commentary on the impact of the Bali bombing on Australia
“I’ve been to Bali too”
…viewpoint on Australia and the Bali bombing
Sunday 13 October 2002
There’s a well known Redgum song in Australia titled “I’ve been to Bali too”. “Wired home for money, short of cash; A dose of Bali belly and a tropical rash; Daddy came through - American express; Bali t-shirts magic mushrooms Redgum bootlegs, I've been to Bali too”… go the lyrics.
Bali has a special place in the hearts of many Australians. Two week holidays are cheaper there for most Australians than to travel interstate – and the shopping!! Well, those locals really know how to please us Aussies.
And then there’s the cheap beer, cocktails, mushrooms and sexploitation. Bali really does epitomise the global consumerist tourist culture. A tiny island in the Indonesian archipelago, its entire social fabric has been altered by Western tourism. The handicraft sector is now completely tourist oriented, as well as about 80% of employment on the island.
Why Bali and not one of the other many islands of Indonesia? Well, to cut to the chase, the mainly Hindu “friendly and relaxed” culture of the Balinese suited the tourist industry corporates of Australia, the US and Western Europe a great deal more than the rest of the mainly Muslim Indonesia.
How do I know all this? Because I’ve been to Bali too – three times in fact – the first time as a very naive, very white, middle-class, Australian 14 year old.
And as outlined on Melbourne’s The Age website, “Bali is known as the Island of the Gods, and has been one of the world's most popular tourist destination for decades… Kuta is the epicentre of the tourist trade. It is filled with hundreds of restaurants, cheap hotels and gift shops. Almost every night, the streets are filled with tourists dancing and drinking until the wee hours of the morning.”
The Sari nightclub… Famous Aussie rules footballer Dermott Brereton pretty much summed it up today. It was “chockers” (very full) and filled with “not-so-well-behaved footballers”, as it is a mecca for sports players celebrating the end of the season. While the clientele may change through the year, the description is essentially the same – drunken, obnoxious, young(ish) Australians.
Australia is now shocked by the events of the last 24 hours… Why us? Our dear footballers! The horror of it!
We’re being plied with images of “our own’ running down the streets (which many of us have been to), blood pouring down faces, skin peeling off bodies.
Yes it’s horrid. But so was the drowning of 353 refugees off the coast of Australia only one year ago, while our government sat by and watched. Not only watched, but blamed those trying to save their children, for “throwing them overboard”. Not only that, but our government has now been caught – and not for the first time either, not at all – assisting in the sabotaging of boats such as these.
This time however our Government has jumped to the defence of innocents, with promises on behalf of our Prime Minister, John-munchkin-Howard, that “all of the resources of the Air Force will be available for this task”, of bringing the injured back to Australia for treatment.
How blatant is our government’s treating of some lives as more important than others? Forbes Rugby Club President, Mr McKinnon, emphasised this point today, when explaining how important it was to get the injured Australians home, because “he wouldn't admit his dog to the hospital he was treated in”.
The most worrying thing about these events though is the ability of our government to use them to distort facts, and use them to justify its slavish military support for the US-led, so-called “war on terror”.
Already Howard is talking of a national review of security measures against terrorism. The constant reminders that this, or something like it, could happened to any of us, any where, any time. If only some of us could remember that this has been the lot of most of the world’s population under imperialism for over a century.
Howard stated in his address to the nation, “This event is a terrible reminder that terrorism can touch anybody anywhere and at any time and any country or any people, any leader or any nation that imagines that in some way they have secured immunity from terrorism because of this or that attitude or this or that part or position in the world, or this or that accident of geography is deluding themselves.”
In practice this means the tightening of immigration border controls and even harsher treatment of refugees (who have become one of the Australian targets of the “war on terror”), a bolstering of the proposed terror laws in Australia, and most importantly, a huge push for the war in the Gulf.
As demonstrated by 40,000 on the streets of Melbourne today however, not all Australians back this war.
Amid the current hysteria, one bright commentator is even claiming that this is “This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history,” (Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the national police chief). P-lease! We have such short memories.
It was only a few decades ago that the Indonesian Government, enthusiastically cheered on by Australia, the US and Western Europe, massacred millions of Communists, activists and anyone associated with them, as part of the coup that installed the hated Suharto regime.
Sorry – not just cheered, but advised, encouraged, armed and even directed. Because everyone Western corporate and government wanted a piece of the Indonesian pie – at that time a poor and large population that could supply a potentially huge and pliant working class for their global sweatshops. If you don’t believe me, check John Pilger’s research on the time.
Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri said today that at least 182 people have been killed in the car bombing, and 132 others injured. She said “the fate of some others remain unknown. There are a large number of foreigners who died and were injured”, but also a number of Indonesians.
This is clearly a significant loss of life – but the Australian Government and media will be turning this tragic event into a propaganda war over the next week – especially if any footballers lose their lives, because us Aussies “love our football”.
When I was last in Bali, just following the Asian economic crisis of 1997, the holiday-isle had changed significantly. The desperation of the small handicraft sellers was all the more apparent. Our dollar literally increased five –fold against theirs within months.
The locals were prevented from accessing foreign exchange to prevent a run on the rupiah. As a tourist this meant I didn’t even have to exchange my money, because an Australian dollar was worth more to them than any rupiah.
I remember talking to a 16-year-old Indonesian from Jakarta. He was one of the many travelling to and from Bali to find stores to sell the wares of factories based elsewhere in the Archipelago.
We were talking about the Sari Hotel and why it was that he wasn’t let into the club, even though age-limits were not enforced on the island.
I explained that the doorman did not let in any locals – and that this appeared to be especially so after the economic crisis. He did not believe me – because it was beyond his comprehension that locals could not mix with tourists. He could not understand why a people could travel to another country and not want to know the “locals”. To be quite honest, neither could I. And it’s the last time I could stomach being a tourist in Bali.
The Sari nightclub is not simply a random target. It would be a hated symbol of Western imperialism for many – no matter what the age of the “revellers” inside. Every year thousands travel to the island, stay in their Western Hotels, visit their Western nightclubs, flaunt their money and feel like royalty for two weeks, then travel home to a country which supports the repressive regimes of the world, like their very own in Indonesia.
As the Sex Pistols put it, it is “a cheap holiday in other people’s misery”.
That’s not to say I support what happened last night. But let’s be clear… as long as our governments continue to wage war on the world’s poor and working class – whether through economic, diplomatic or military means – our government will develop enemies… enemies which unfortunately mistake us for our governments.
That’s where we have even more responsibility to see through the lies and propaganda spewed from our governments and through the capitalist press. Our role is to say clearly: Our government is to blame for the deaths in Bali:
• Australia out of the Gulf and the Asia-Pacific
• No hosting of US military bases
• Solidarity with the peoples of the Asia-Pacific fighting oppression, exploitation and imperialism.
Now more than any time in the last few decades, we need Australians to wake up and join the anti-war movement. In our workplaces, at our schools, out on the streets – now! add your own comments
by lisafur 10:44pm Sun Oct 13 '02 (Modified on 6:47pm Mon Oct 14 '02) article#35159
lisafaa@yahoo.com A commentary on the impact of the Bali bombing on Australia
“I’ve been to Bali too”
…viewpoint on Australia and the Bali bombing
Sunday 13 October 2002
There’s a well known Redgum song in Australia titled “I’ve been to Bali too”. “Wired home for money, short of cash; A dose of Bali belly and a tropical rash; Daddy came through - American express; Bali t-shirts magic mushrooms Redgum bootlegs, I've been to Bali too”… go the lyrics.
Bali has a special place in the hearts of many Australians. Two week holidays are cheaper there for most Australians than to travel interstate – and the shopping!! Well, those locals really know how to please us Aussies.
And then there’s the cheap beer, cocktails, mushrooms and sexploitation. Bali really does epitomise the global consumerist tourist culture. A tiny island in the Indonesian archipelago, its entire social fabric has been altered by Western tourism. The handicraft sector is now completely tourist oriented, as well as about 80% of employment on the island.
Why Bali and not one of the other many islands of Indonesia? Well, to cut to the chase, the mainly Hindu “friendly and relaxed” culture of the Balinese suited the tourist industry corporates of Australia, the US and Western Europe a great deal more than the rest of the mainly Muslim Indonesia.
How do I know all this? Because I’ve been to Bali too – three times in fact – the first time as a very naive, very white, middle-class, Australian 14 year old.
And as outlined on Melbourne’s The Age website, “Bali is known as the Island of the Gods, and has been one of the world's most popular tourist destination for decades… Kuta is the epicentre of the tourist trade. It is filled with hundreds of restaurants, cheap hotels and gift shops. Almost every night, the streets are filled with tourists dancing and drinking until the wee hours of the morning.”
The Sari nightclub… Famous Aussie rules footballer Dermott Brereton pretty much summed it up today. It was “chockers” (very full) and filled with “not-so-well-behaved footballers”, as it is a mecca for sports players celebrating the end of the season. While the clientele may change through the year, the description is essentially the same – drunken, obnoxious, young(ish) Australians.
Australia is now shocked by the events of the last 24 hours… Why us? Our dear footballers! The horror of it!
We’re being plied with images of “our own’ running down the streets (which many of us have been to), blood pouring down faces, skin peeling off bodies.
Yes it’s horrid. But so was the drowning of 353 refugees off the coast of Australia only one year ago, while our government sat by and watched. Not only watched, but blamed those trying to save their children, for “throwing them overboard”. Not only that, but our government has now been caught – and not for the first time either, not at all – assisting in the sabotaging of boats such as these.
This time however our Government has jumped to the defence of innocents, with promises on behalf of our Prime Minister, John-munchkin-Howard, that “all of the resources of the Air Force will be available for this task”, of bringing the injured back to Australia for treatment.
How blatant is our government’s treating of some lives as more important than others? Forbes Rugby Club President, Mr McKinnon, emphasised this point today, when explaining how important it was to get the injured Australians home, because “he wouldn't admit his dog to the hospital he was treated in”.
The most worrying thing about these events though is the ability of our government to use them to distort facts, and use them to justify its slavish military support for the US-led, so-called “war on terror”.
Already Howard is talking of a national review of security measures against terrorism. The constant reminders that this, or something like it, could happened to any of us, any where, any time. If only some of us could remember that this has been the lot of most of the world’s population under imperialism for over a century.
Howard stated in his address to the nation, “This event is a terrible reminder that terrorism can touch anybody anywhere and at any time and any country or any people, any leader or any nation that imagines that in some way they have secured immunity from terrorism because of this or that attitude or this or that part or position in the world, or this or that accident of geography is deluding themselves.”
In practice this means the tightening of immigration border controls and even harsher treatment of refugees (who have become one of the Australian targets of the “war on terror”), a bolstering of the proposed terror laws in Australia, and most importantly, a huge push for the war in the Gulf.
As demonstrated by 40,000 on the streets of Melbourne today however, not all Australians back this war.
Amid the current hysteria, one bright commentator is even claiming that this is “This is the worst act of terror in Indonesia's history,” (Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the national police chief). P-lease! We have such short memories.
It was only a few decades ago that the Indonesian Government, enthusiastically cheered on by Australia, the US and Western Europe, massacred millions of Communists, activists and anyone associated with them, as part of the coup that installed the hated Suharto regime.
Sorry – not just cheered, but advised, encouraged, armed and even directed. Because everyone Western corporate and government wanted a piece of the Indonesian pie – at that time a poor and large population that could supply a potentially huge and pliant working class for their global sweatshops. If you don’t believe me, check John Pilger’s research on the time.
Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri said today that at least 182 people have been killed in the car bombing, and 132 others injured. She said “the fate of some others remain unknown. There are a large number of foreigners who died and were injured”, but also a number of Indonesians.
This is clearly a significant loss of life – but the Australian Government and media will be turning this tragic event into a propaganda war over the next week – especially if any footballers lose their lives, because us Aussies “love our football”.
When I was last in Bali, just following the Asian economic crisis of 1997, the holiday-isle had changed significantly. The desperation of the small handicraft sellers was all the more apparent. Our dollar literally increased five –fold against theirs within months.
The locals were prevented from accessing foreign exchange to prevent a run on the rupiah. As a tourist this meant I didn’t even have to exchange my money, because an Australian dollar was worth more to them than any rupiah.
I remember talking to a 16-year-old Indonesian from Jakarta. He was one of the many travelling to and from Bali to find stores to sell the wares of factories based elsewhere in the Archipelago.
We were talking about the Sari Hotel and why it was that he wasn’t let into the club, even though age-limits were not enforced on the island.
I explained that the doorman did not let in any locals – and that this appeared to be especially so after the economic crisis. He did not believe me – because it was beyond his comprehension that locals could not mix with tourists. He could not understand why a people could travel to another country and not want to know the “locals”. To be quite honest, neither could I. And it’s the last time I could stomach being a tourist in Bali.
The Sari nightclub is not simply a random target. It would be a hated symbol of Western imperialism for many – no matter what the age of the “revellers” inside. Every year thousands travel to the island, stay in their Western Hotels, visit their Western nightclubs, flaunt their money and feel like royalty for two weeks, then travel home to a country which supports the repressive regimes of the world, like their very own in Indonesia.
As the Sex Pistols put it, it is “a cheap holiday in other people’s misery”.
That’s not to say I support what happened last night. But let’s be clear… as long as our governments continue to wage war on the world’s poor and working class – whether through economic, diplomatic or military means – our government will develop enemies… enemies which unfortunately mistake us for our governments.
That’s where we have even more responsibility to see through the lies and propaganda spewed from our governments and through the capitalist press. Our role is to say clearly: Our government is to blame for the deaths in Bali:
• Australia out of the Gulf and the Asia-Pacific
• No hosting of US military bases
• Solidarity with the peoples of the Asia-Pacific fighting oppression, exploitation and imperialism.
Now more than any time in the last few decades, we need Australians to wake up and join the anti-war movement. In our workplaces, at our schools, out on the streets – now! add your own comments
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