Revisiting Bali ten years later

Bali without the Sari club 10 years later, by GDL

Ten years ago there was a bomb at the Sari Club which killed 220 westerners.  While the Sari Club has disappeared and in its place now  just a car park,  next to it is the memorial that will always remind visitors of the atrocity which happened there in 2002. The memorial has become to some extent, a tourist attraction as everyone who goes to Bali visits the memorial.
While the memory of the bombing will stand there forever, the memory of the killings seems to have disappeared in view of the strong coming back to Bali by westerners. The comeback denotes that the fear of any new bombing in Bali does not even cross the mind of westerners or tourists when they book their holidays to Bali. The fact remains that that Bali is still the cheapest holidays in Asia where the weather is always warm, the beaches beautiful, the hotels affordable, the food and  beers are still very cheap.                                                                                                                                                 Bali  welcomes some 2.5 million tourists every year. The demand is increasing as hotel constructions are seen everywhere on Bali .From January to June 2012, 1,369,758 tourists arrived in Bali representing a cumulative growth of 7.7 percent . In June 2012,  238,296 foreign visitors came to Bali. Extrapolating foreign arrivals by assuming a steady 7.7 percent growth rate through the end of the current year, Bali should welcome close to 3 million tourists by the end of 2012. According to some very optimistic projections, in 2015 number of visitors can go as high as 5 million.
Bali Island has much to offer, beautiful beaches, cheap shopping at Cuta, night life and entertainment, varied cuisine, the country side is beautiful, the safari parks, the volcano, the big temple, etc… The best way to go around is to hire a car fully air-conditioned with a chauffeur from dawn to dusk for only $30. Balenese respect the tourists and do their utmost to get them to come again.
However the island is fast becoming overcrowded with 3 millions inhabitants of whom 95 percent are of the Hindu faith, three percent Christians and two percent Muslims. Religion is not in the forefront as Balinese, except for the few Islamists fanatics, understand secularism. Not a single women in Bali wears the “Saree” and the men will only wear their “Sarong and Udong ” for religious ceremonies.
The construction of a new international airport on Lombok is poised to alleviate Bali and promoting the island, but this does not seem to be the case until now. Lombok is a Muslim island, it has the same temperature and beautiful beaches and hotels but the atmosphere and ambiance at Lombok is far from the one in Bali. Time will tell if  Lombock will pick up.
The competitions to Bali, however, are coming from the Gilli Islands namely Gilli Tragawan, Gilli Meno and Gilli Air. These small islands are little paradises where there are no cars, no motor bikes, no traffic, no noise or any form of pollution. Tourists tour the islands on bike or horse carts. The hotels on Gilli Tragawan for example, are of high standard and most tourists coming to Bali would spend at least three nights on Gilli Tragawan. Dining out on Gilli Tragawan is a real delice with a wide choice of grilled seafood and salad bar.
Back to Bali. Herald Sun Insight editor Keith Moor, spent months interviewing people, examining thousands of pages of court transcripts and having exclusive access to a range of police and other documents - all of which enabled him to piece together why and how a group of fanatical Muslims declared war on the West, and attacked Westerners simply out enjoying themselves. Much of the details came from the mouths of the bombers themselves in witness statements made to police. Moor's report traced the bombers' background, reconstructed what happened on the night through the eyes of those in the Sari Club and Paddy's Pub, and examined the police hunt for the terrorists. The conclusion is that the ideology of Bin Laden has found its way in Bali among some young and weak Muslims who believe that the Jihad must go on.                                                                                     
If the fear of another bombing, as pointed out above, seems to have somehow disappeared, this is like discarding the reality or playing the ostrich. The possibility of another bombing in Bali still exists as long as there are elements of Jamma Islamia on Bali. The treat is definitely still there. When Julia Gillard and her delegation visited the island for the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the killings of Australians by Islamists of Jamma Islamia, there was a threat which prompted the Indonesia government to take extra security measures. Much has been done in that respect since the bombings.  The Indonesian government takes any threat seriously even though their intelligence service is now very effective. Security measures are very high and everyone is checked when entering big hotels; but this is not the case fro the pubs and nightclubs of Cuta, Legian and Seminiak.  Places like Ku de Ta and Potato Head, which attract up-market tourists, have  very strong security measures. This is surely not a hazard but rather an omen that these places could be potential targets.
However, the possibility of any bomb on the Gillis is very very remote and they should and will remain the little paradises, not lost, of the Indian Ocean. This is excellent news.
                                                                         

Al Qaida presence in Australlia by GDL

 

 

"AL-QA'IDA sympathisers were among those involved in violent weekend protests in Sydney, which saw Muslim men engage in a series of running battles with officers from both the NSW and Australian Federal Police.Several of the hundreds of demonstrators who marched on the city's US consulate were carrying the black flags adopted by the proscribed terror organisation and its splinter groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq."(The Australian newspaper).

The protesters, these Islamists fundamentalists extremists who have no moral values, used women and children during their uncivilised and unlawful protest to show how hatred was at the centre of their message. Some photos show children holding signs saying: "Behead those that insult the prophet." This demonstrates how low some can go with such a savage and bellingerent mentality.

"Some of this will have to be looked at from a legal perspective to see what offences are actually committed by some of these text messages," Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldastold the Seven Network on Monday. (The daily Telegraph)

It is the wish of all law abiding citizens of Australia that these rascals be dealt with severely to serve as a lesson to others with the same mindset. From what we saw in TV on Saturday, it is obvious that some people cannot adapt to the western democracy style and philosophy.

What we saw can only be qualified as barbaric behaviours which is the modus operandi of these extremists. It is needless to educate them, a waste of time; if they have not changed they will never change.They deserve other treatments tailored for their needs.

Australia has for too long been too tolerant to extremism  in the name of political correctness. The Labour government with its involvemnt in Afghanitan, its lack of a coherent migration policy and its failure on border protection, is encouraging criminals and other extremists to enter the country without proper check and balances of their backgrounds. No surprise that some of them come without any identification. They purposely destroyed these. 

The unlawful protest by these extremists was disgusting and enraging to say the least. Australia should have tougher laws to deal with these extremists.They should be expelled from the country as they do not understand what democracy stands for and what are Australian values.

Go back to where you come from....you are the parias of our society.

WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE.

 

Australian Politics

BY GDL
Labour finally gave in and embraced the pacific solution to stop the boats.
The expert panel, besides other recommendations, found that offshore processing
is actually a deterrent to people trying to get in Australia by the backdoor.
Since the Labor party came to power in 2007, we have seen an armada of boats loaded with
queue jumpers, paying people smugglers, to get into Australia as "refugees".
The report also highlighted that Julia Gillard has been unable to find the right policy to stop the boats.
Her Malasia solution was questioned and found to be ineffective.
Since the Labor party came to power, 22,456 "asylum seekers" have arrived on 385 boats.
The Labor party accepted all the recommendations of the expert panel and have
already taken measures to reopen the centres on Nauru and Manus Island.
Had the Labor party listened and compromised with the opposition before, this would
have saved taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. But there was too much pride.!
The report confirmed that Kevin Rudd was wrong reversing the pacific solution.
Kevin Rudd also reversed the Temporary Protection Visa which saw a sudden increase of
those coming by boats claiming to be "refugees'!
The Greens, these communists idiots, still want to abolish border protection and let every boat with "these" people claiming to be "refugees" be allowed to come in and stay. How stupid because the message is going out and all refugees and non refugees, including criminals, around the world will pay people smugglers and get into our country by the backdoor. The Greens need to be silenced and told to f....off.

The Greens are dangerous leftists ideolgists more dangerous than One Nation of Pauline Hanson

Australians should  get rid of  The Greens  at the next general elections.
by GDL.

The Greens use this name to hide their true colour which is RED, the colour of the
hard extreme left communist party. That is why they are called watermelons, green on the outside and red  inside. They are virtual radicals, anarchists, harden left wing ideologists who are still living in the past centuries, still indoctrinated by the writings of  Marx, Angels,Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Mao,Castro and all these failed political leaders.
The Greens are anti-capitalism, anti-business, anti-jobs. They do not believe in the private sector, in entrepreneurship and in the concept that investment and business generate wealth and provide
a sense of humanity to the workers; that anyone has the potential to move up and prosper. They just want people to stay a the lower rung of the ladder as proletarians, but at the same time want a revolution against the private sector. B...S....

The Greens in Australia started as an ecological movement in Tasmania with this man Bob Brown.
They protested against the construction of a dam because that meant trees will have to be cut down. They wanted to save the forest of Tasmania and still advocating that they should be no logging at all in Tasmania. This is unrealistic as many people in Tasmania depend on logging for their survival, to have a job and feed their families. There are many many trees in the forest of Tasmania that can be logged without damaging the ecological balance and sustainability. It only needs good planning, where to log and replant the fallen trees.No no no said the Greens, no compromise.

They managed to get into the upper house (the senate) on the slogan that they care about the environment and some people believe in them, as most people agree that the environment should be protected. But once they start tasting power and politics in the senate, they move to other policy areas
e.g. that drugs, abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia should be legalised. Then they move to clean energy policy claiming that Australia should stop burning  fossils fuel ( gas and coal) to produce electricity. For them nuclear energy is very very bad for the environment and dangerous because of radiation. They want all energy producing plants to be closed down, no more mining of the land neither and stop exports of energy to other countries. This is economic irrationality when Australia is a net exporter of energy.
They want Australia to rely only on sun, wind and geothermal and other natural energy sources . They do not care if people will loose jobs. As always, they will not compromise. They voted against Kevin Rudd's ETS and CPRS where the cost of carbon would have been only $5.00. They twisted the arms of Julia Gillard, and her minority government, to impose a $23 per ton on carbon emission.
The Greens are the real red devils behind the carbon tax which poor Julia and her ministers now have to defend by compensating and over compensation those who will face  higher electricity bills.

On the issue of refugees, if the Greens get their way, our country will be swamped by boat people claiming to be refugees which are not only queue jumpers.There  could be among them, harden  criminals, terrorists, islamist fundamentalists,  mafia or drug dealers who will only upset the social fabric of our country. This is what onshore processing means and the Greens will not compromise on offshore processing. They do not care how much taxpayers money are being spent on the queue jumpers who cannot wait for their turns.
The Greens are the first ones responsible for the influx of boats coming to our shores in the north from Indonesia. They are responsible for encouraging people smuggling and finally responsible for those who died and will die at sea. This is why the Greens are a bunch of dangerous idealists anarchists far from the crocodile tears of the idiosyncratic Sarah Henson-Young, not to mention the wierd Bob Brown and the stupid Christine Mills and the antisemitic Lea Reanon.
The Greens should f...off to the land of dreamers. Dans koro kann comme on dit a Maurice..

Clean energy in the future

The carbon tax or the Clean Energy Future
by GDL.

The Carbon Tax, as the opposition likes to call it, was implemented on the 1st of July 2012 in Australia. From that day some 300 big polluters will pay $23 for every ton of carbon emission they release in the atmosphere.
The opposition, the Liberals and Nationals, has campaigned vigorously and continues to campaign hard against what they call a bad tax. They say it will not reduce gas emissions but instead will raise the  cost of living of Australians. They also said that as from the 1st July, everything will go wrong in Australia: prices of goods, services and commodities will go up, many small business will close shops. They even said that some of the towns where electricity is produced, like Wyalla and La Trobe valley, will become ghost towns.

Well the 1st of July is there and gone and nothing dramatic has happened. However it is still too soon to measure the real impact of the carbon tax on the economy. Prices of electricity has already gone up but this is irrelevant of the carbon tax as electricity prices had gone up by 78% in the last ten years.

We will monitor  in the days and month to come whether the big supermarkets will put the prices up, less sales and less discounts. This will be the real test for everyone as it will hit our pockets directly.

The same scare campaign was run by labour when the Liberals introduced the GST of 10%. Today we live with it and continue to enjoy life. The same will happen with the carbon tax, like any tax we will live with it and soon we will forget about it.

But maybe not, as this will be the centrepiece of the opposition electoral campaign in a year or so. However, we will then be in a better position to judge who was right and who was wrong.
We will be in a position to assess whether it was a good thing to make polluters pay for damaging the atmosphere and whether this has caused massive job lost and raise the cost of living.

The Labor government has already compensated, and they will again compensate, those who could be worse off under the Clean Energy Future legislation.  They linked the legislation with tax reforms and already more than a million Australians will pay no tax while others  will save around $2,000 every year. Pensioners has received a lump sum of $300 and families with children in schools have received some $800.

The opposition say they will repeal the tax if they come to power. Tony Abbott said there will be no carbon tax under his government. This will not be possible even if they win a big majority in the lower house because the Greens and Labor will have a  majority in the senate and will surely block the new legislation of repealing the Clean Energy Legislation.
In reality there will be a carbon tax if Mr Abbott wins for some months or years unless he triggers a double dissolution and win outright majority in the senate. So in the years to come we can expect not one but two federal elections in a row. If again the Greens and Labour controls the senate, the carbon tax will stay.
If the sky has not fallen on our heads on the 1st of July, the question remains should we have done it now when the rest of the world has not moved ? But should we wait for the rest of the world to move and then  follow ? Should we have done nothing ? Is the  cost of doing nothing not more that doing something now. But have we done it the right way ? The answers are not blowing in the wind but will come from YOU.

The boat people by GDL

The boat people: refugees, illegals or people smuggling?

By GDL

The controversy surrounding the boat people lies in the paradox that the history of migration to Australia started in 1788 with the boat people coming from England They were both convicts and free people. Some even came for religious freedom. The irony at the time was, they did not have a visa and came as invaders of the land habited by the aborigines. Yes, invaders because it has now been proved that Australia was not a “terra nullius” as the English, at the time, wanted us to believe. They can even be called “illegals” in modern terms.

The English and Europeans and even those coming from the colonies like Mauritius at the time, did not need a visa to settle down in the land down under up and until Federation. In the 1940s many workers, particularly from Italy came to build up the infrastructures. The Italians were escaping not persecution, but recession from Europe. Many also went to the USA at the time.
Japanese after the wars were granted permission to stay in Australia for having fought against Japan invasion. Were they the first refugees?
Many Germans and Jews came to Australia during and after the world wars to escape persecutions. They can also be called refugees.
Then came the official mass refugees from Lebanon, Vietnam, and more recently from Sudan. There are also those pacific islanders who come by the New Zealand's backdoor, are they also illegals?
In the 60s and 70s many more came by boat from everywhere but this time with a visa. Those from Latin America were definitely escaping dictatorial regimes prevailing at the time in a turmoil South America, with dictators like Pinochet, Somoza, Castro, Perone and others…
The great exodus of the 60s and early 70s to Australia happened for obvious reasons; the migrants were fleeing from political unrest. Can they also be qualified as “refugees”? The creoles of Mauritius were selling everything to embark on the boats to escape the Creole bashing by the newly Hindu establishment in Mauritius. They can also be called “refugees” of modern time.
Anyone who say or can prove that he or she is ‘persecuted” in his/her country for religious, ethnic or political reasons can claim refugee status under the UNHCR.
It this a too simplistic definition? How can the Australian authorities contest if someone come by boat and claim refugee status? Specially when they have deliberately destroyed their papers.
Note that it is not only those few who come by boats who claim refugee status in Australia but many who come with a tourist or visitor visa. These people having paid a return ticket, having proved to the Australia High Commission that that have financial means to cover their short stay in Australia, but as soon as they land in Australia do not want to go back.
According to the Department of Immigration, 80 % of the over-stayers have applied for a refugee visa and the rest 20 % have no intention to surrender to the authorities.They are harboured by relatives and claim refugee status. Is this fair and correct? Mind you that if some fail to prove that their lives are in danger if they go back, many others finally obtain permanent residency.
Where does that leave us concerning the boat people who are becoming the political football of Labor, Liberal and Greens ? No one seems to have a solution to the problem. Onshore or offshore processing, TPV or PPV or turning back the boats will not solve the problem as long as there is a market for people smugglers.
The boat people are definitely queue jumpers who think they have no chance going by the door because of the long processing queues at the UNHCR offices. Are they to be blamed when they learned that most of the boat people have finally obtained permanent residency in Australia?  For them it is worth paying people smugglers and the corrupt Indonesia police, get on a boat and make way to Australia. The people smugglers are very smart, they follow closely the political debate in Australia and know exactly how and when to sell their product. Their rate of success, be it under Liberals and more so under labour government, is high. So why should they stop as long as there is a market and a good product to sell to the “refugees’? 
Australian taxpayers are surely disgusted with the continuous saga of boat people. While the labor government is bleeding over the controversy, the Liberals are making a mockery of the situation and drawing political capital out of it, as every new boat that arrives is a nail in the coffin of Julia Gillard and the Labor government.

So why should the Libs collaborate with the failed policy of government to save them?  This is where Julia becomes ridiculous in trying to get the collaboration of the Libs for the Malaysian solution. The Libs have enough grounds not to collaborate. They want the government to implement the Howard policy which “worked” to score more political points.  

The core of the problem is that endemic corruption in Indonesia is favoring people smuggling.  It has to be stopped. The boats have to be stopped from Indonesia. But can one stop corruption in Indonesia ?? You must be joking!!!

Even if it seems that the Government is giving grounds, as far a reintroducing TPV and considering Nauru, they will surely not adopt the only policy advocated by the Libs. It would be ‘loosing face” towards the public. But what has labor got to loose when they seem to have already lost everything?

Someone who is drowning does not choose which hand to catch be it a friend or a foe. In these circumstances it is better to try something rather than continue to bang heads against the wall.
Julia and the Labor government has nothing to loose by embracing the Libs policy of
TPV and turning back the boats. Unless they do not care about the millions of our dollars being spent on Christmas Island and with the new refugee centres.

But taxpayers that we are  do.!

Jakarta, where postmodernism and Muslim intersect

By GDL

With a population of more than 230 million where around 85 percent are Muslims, Indonesia is said to be the biggest Muslim country. While this statement could be correct, to say that it is a conservative society is probably incorrect. Being a Muslim country does not necessarily mean a conservative society as far as Jakarta in particular, and Indonesia in general, are concerned.

While there  is a very small minority, if not a pocket of Muslim fundamentalists, (as it is probably the case in many western countries), they tend to be more vocal and visible, going to the extent of using unconventional methods to make themselves heard. These fundamentalists are only trying to destabilise the country as they have no plan for the future. Their only aim is to make Indonesia an Islamic Republic, and would not care less for the betterment of the millions. The Bali bombing following September 11, was a very bad publicity for the country, mainly from western countries like Australia. Indonesia, however, seems to have recovered from that ugly and sad event.Since the attempted murder on the President Susilo Bambang Yudihoyono, following his overwhelming second time election, the terrorists are closely watched and the Jamiah Islamya has meanwhile, been dismantled.

Save for these fundamentalists, the “Muslims” of Indonesia are very open and progressive. They do not follow strict Muslim or Sharia laws. The Muslim religion was introduced well after the Hindu and Buddhist religions in the archipelago, by Arab merchants in the 16^th and 17^th Centuries. In fact the songs and dance are still closer to the Indian ones. The danduk is more of the Bollywood style.

Mr Jacques Santoo, a French businessman who is married to a Muslim Indonesian and has lived in Indonesia for more than 20 years, explained, “Among most Indonesians, Islam is only an element in a syncretic belief system that also includes Animist and Hindu-Buddhist concepts. Javanese culture for example, has its own authenticity, specificity, customs, traditions, family rules and social structure which are not disturbed by the Islam religion. Javanese (and Sundanese) are noticeably more open to western culture in their consumption patterns and lifestyle. Some of the shopping centres are very modern and are always full and overcrowded on Sundays.”

For the Javanese, as well as for the other ethnic groups like the Sundanese, Mandurese and Coastal Malays and Balinese, there is a noticeable demarcation between culture and religion. All while being Muslim, the religious belief does not impinge or influence the Javanese culture. This is very obvious and conspicuous when visiting Jakarta and mixing with the people.
Never will anyone be greeted by “Salam malaikum” but rather by “Salamat pagi or Salamat tidur ” meaning Good Morning, or Good Night”.
The language, Bahasa Indonesia, is the lingua franca of Indonesia. It is a symbol of unity and nationalism, adopted as the official and national language, among the 300 different languages spoken throughout Indonesia. It is a dynamic language which is contently absorbing new vocabulary including English, which is the most popular foreign language.
It is very appreciated if the visitor could speak a few words of Indonesia which will be rewarded by “Wah, saudah lancar bahasa Indonesia” (oh, you speak Indonesian!”)  which is a compliment to your fluency.

Mrs Danielle Adolphe an expat teacher, who has worked in Jakarta for many years. said, “Javanese are generally shy but very polite, agreeable and do not like arguing. Faced with an embarrassing situation they will simply smile as a way of withdrawal.”
The people Indonesia put emphasis on politeness and civilities. For example they will never accept a gift if you do not insist. The word “Tolong” (please) and “Terima kasih” (Thank you) are always present in conversation with a bow.

While from outside there is the perception that Indonesia is a conservative Muslim society, the internal reality is completely different. If some girls or women wear the Jilab it absolutely does not mean that they are conservative or submissive. These ladies are on the contrary very free and open. The Jilab (covering the head only) is very elegantly worn with T-shirt and tight jean. Two young “Muslim” girls could be seen riding their motorbikes until late at night, even in the remote country areas.

As opposed to the hypocrisy in the western world, the sex industry is a booming business and brothels are fully legalised as they form a big part of the economic activity. They provide jobs for the millions who would otherwise be unemployed and living in abject poverty. It is the case not only for the girls, but also all other associated jobs like cleaners, bar attendants, etc… There are many big and sophisticated brothels in Jakarta, where hundreds of young and beautiful girls “work” in the open. The brothels are mere big entertainment centres. These are places for locals and tourists can freely consume alcohol, socialise, listen to live music and watch a show. This industry forms a big part of the strong aggregate internal consumer demands.

With a market of more than 230 million consumers, Indonesian’s economy is very strong. If it is now ranked among the top ten economies in the world, it is poised to be the fourth behind China, USA, Europe and India by the year 2040. This vast country covers the biggest part of the intersection between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is the gateway to these two oceans.
Indonesia’s economy escaped the global financial crisis because of its strong reliance on internal consumer demands and imports for only 20 percent of its GDP. The country produces it own petrol besides being rich in mineral resources like gold and iron ore. The GDP per capita is around $U4,334.
If there are ominous signs of wealth, if not opulence, in Indonesia like top class hotels and boutiques and luxurious cars, there are still many facets of a third world country. There are many old and shabby buildings and houses and millions are still living below the poverty line. However this should be taken with care as poverty is a relative concept in Indonesia, not to be interpreted and applied with the same measurement of western societies. Indonesians though “poor” are happy, always smiling and do not complain. They are very enterprising and are content with what they have.

Happiness is what you make out of it. It is something that money can’t buy specially in Indonesia.