Ever since receiving the first call, about 8:30 last night of the bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran, I have been in a daze…a cross between a deer at night being frozen by the headlights of an oncoming car, and having a strong punch to the stomach.
Late Wednesday night I had received word that my father had passed away after battling pulmonary fibroses for over a year. Please, no condolences as my dad enjoyed a long, productive and good life. I knew it was coming, and so did he, but still, one is never prepared for the final word. Then, last night, this news…which immediately brought back the night of October 12, 2002.
Maybe I’m already too depressed over loosing my dad, but I can’t help thinking, “here we go again.” I find some of the comparisons to October 12 quirky and odd. Remember after the first bombing in Bali came the SARS scare? Now we have the Avian flu scare, forecasted by the World Health Organization to very likely become pandemic during the next few months. This potentially very bad news is followed by yet another bombing in Bali and on the very day that fuel prices have almost doubled!
What will happen now? Will the tourists still here flee Bali like last time? Will hotels be flooded with cancellations? Quickly checking on another forum I did read that many Aussies were not canceling their upcoming trips, in spite of strong government advice to avoid Bali. I admire the resilience of the Australians with their “on on” persistence.
I can understand the anger being vented right now, and claims that the Bali security forces are ill equipped to deal with the terrorist reality in Bali. It is frustrating that once the head of the serpent has been cut off, it immediately grows five more heads. Even the highest developed industrial nations have been successfully targeted long after the 9/11 wake up call.
Why is Bali such a tempting target for JI and other Islamic extremists? I think there are several reasons, all of them being obvious. It’s an easy target, with lots of westerners congregated in many places throughout the island and the chances of collateral damage against fellow Muslims is slim, or at least, much slimmer than in Jakarta.
It’s hard to get a “good read” on how the Balinese people are taking this. Galungan is right around the corner…next Wednesday, and all attention seems to be focused on this most holy and important holiday season. With the first bombing in 2002, many expected a violent Balinese reaction against Islamic Indonesians living in Bali. It never happened then, and hopefully this time, it will not happen either.
In the end, as with 2002, one thing is clear. That is that in addition to the dead and injured, the other “silent” victims will be the Balinese.
Later this afternoon we will be going to our high priest as it is our third son, Komang’s oton and it falls on a new moon. I’ve known this high priestess for many years, and we have a warm personal relationship. I intend to ask her a question that is very likely on the minds of most all of us…”how do we reconcile these actions?”
