He probably speaks for many of the older local farmers, but it just isn’t in Balinese culture to complain, so most wont speak out about the selling off of rice fields for the building of hotels, resorts and private villas all over Bali.
Ironically, the construction happening on this land is to house Tourists who come into these areas to enjoy and look out at rice fields… now they just face more construction sites… their presence destroying the very thing they came here for.
For the farmers, they face difficult economic decisions. Should they keep their land for future generations and the preservation of Bali culture or take what seems to be a huge amount of money which could benefit their families now, school, car, costs of overdue cremation ceremonies…?
As an expat here in Bali I am constantly aware of the impact myself and others like me are having on the place I have grown to call home. This is an interesting dichotomy for all expats. While we are looked at as being the privileged rich with money to spend here, and why wouldn’t they want some of our free flowing cash, we know that our being here puts the culture we are enjoying into unbalance. We demand the kind of services we feel we need – intentionally forcing change on a culture that, on the other hand, we wish to conserve.
We need to think twice before buying land in poorer foreign country for a luxury 2nd home in a place where our neighbours will still be plowing the land by hand and living off less than $2 a day. As for Pande Putu, well done for speaking out.
source : http://balistylelife.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/not-for-sale/
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