In Reply to: What you say is true posted by Baliku on Thursday, 29. December 2005 at 18:33 Bali Time:
that what you really would like is to have Bali run in a more 'Australian' manner, ie, that things should be done exactly as we would. If that were the case, wouldn't it actually remove a lot of the reasons that we actually go for? Very few countries actually immediately institute the death penalty immediately (thank God). Those that do, I would suggest you wouldn't actually go to visit.
It just bewilders me that so many people honestly have this opinion that any other country should have to be run the way their own country is run. Why?
You may not approve of the memorial site being used as a car park.However the reality is, it is privately owned. Would you allow anyone to tell you what you could do with your own land? (That is, unless you happen to live in Australia, where everything is legislated to the 9th degree!)
I agree, that many who lost people in that atrocity, may not like seeing cars there. The reality is, that is their issue, tragic as it may be.
As I write this, I suspect that what is happening is that many people are having to face the uncomfortable fact that Bali is actually a part of Indonesia, not an extention of Australia, and I think many people have never accepted, or liked that fact before.
As for the media, Bali bashing sells. Those who are anti can say with deep satisfaction, 'see, I told you so'. Those who are pro, can get all indignant. Reality probably lies somewhere in between the two.