Managing or Dominating?
Tourism in the Banda Islands, Eastern Indonesia
Rachel Wrangham
The Banda Islands
A cluster of green volcanic specks in the middle of one of the world's deepest seas, the Banda Islands lie between Sulawesi and Irian Jaya in the Indonesia province of Maluku. Once the thriving centre of the lucrative trade in cloves, nutmeg and mace, the islands are known today for their peaceful charm - the perfect cone of the Gunung Api, a semi-dormant volcano shelters a natural harbour, flanked by hills covered with lush tropical vegetation. The sea is unpolluted, the coral surrounding the islands spectacular. The quiet streets are lined with the mansions once occupied by Dutch plantation owners, their generous verandas decorated with barley sugar-like twisted pillars, decorative wrought ironwork and marble floors.
The economy of the islands depends largely on fishing for huge tuna, which are then sold to visiting Japanese 'factory ships' for export. Spices are still cultivated, but tourism is fast becoming the second largest cash earner for a small proportion of Bandanese.
Tourism Today
Many Bandanese see tourism as the islands' key growth area. The islands' distinctive dive sites, beaches, and the legacy of Dutch colonialism account for a steady trickle of visitors to the islands. Before the airport was built in 1981 there were virtually no tourists in Banda. In 1995 there were between 1,500 and 2,000 foreign visitors, up from about 650 in 1991. (No records are kept of numbers of domestic tourists). These tourists tend to be fairly wealthy.
At present the majority of foreign tourists stay on the main island, and make day trips to the more remote islands. Accommodation ranges from a purpose-built 'luxury' (perhaps 2 star) hotel, to small home-stays in old Dutch mansions.
Few Bandanese are employed exclusively in tourism, but the subject is one of absorbing interest because it affects many areas of Bandanese life. This is due to Des Alwi, self-styled entrepreneur and philanthropist, who owns the two grandest hotels in Banda, has a monopoly of scuba diving, and has recently become the traditional (adat) head of Banda.
Alwi is a prominent Jakarta businessman with political connections andinterests in construction, property and film making. Born in Banda of a wealthy family, he was 'adopted' by two Republicans exiled to Banda in the 1930s by the Dutch, and left with them for Java at the start of the Second World War. His heavily mythologised life story has him returning to 'his' islands in the early 1970s, pockets lined with gold. It is hard to determine the degree to which recent developments in Banda - building the airport, building a new pier, establishing a satellite telephone link and building a generator - are due to Alwi's influence.
But what rights should Alwi have? Does his position as patron give himthe right to determine the way in which tourism should develop in Banda?
'I know best.'
In 1995, when the research on which this article is based was carried out, there was already dissent about Alwi's plans for the future. He feels that it is vital that the old buildings and the marine life around Banda should be preserved. In the early 1990s he set up a foundation concerned with the preservation of Banda's natural and cultural heritage. Its work is funded from the profits of Alwi's two hotels, and donations from wealthy Bandanese in Holland and Jakarta. Alwi has a controlling interest in the foundation. However the foundation's ideas about what is best for Banda have clashed with some local peoples' interests, as the examples given below show.
1. Architectural restoration
The foundation runs the small museum and has restored several attractive old buildings. Though such an enterprise may seem worthy to Western eyes, some Bandanese are unhappy. For example, if a family's house is seen to be of architectural interest, they can be asked - and perhaps compelled - to move. One of the Foundation's plans was to create a panoramic 'green area' between the old fort on the hill and the sea. This would involve demolishing several modern homes. Two residents were refusing to co-operate, and the situation was not resolved when the research period ended.
2. Commercial Fishing
If restoration of architectural heritage can cause problems, so can issues relating to marine conservation. As mentioned earlier, only a small proportion of Bandanese currently profit from tourism. More are involved in fishing. However at present this is a risky business. Sometimes the Japanese 'factory ship' is full, often it is not there. Sometimes bad weather means that the fish has deterirated too much before it reaches the ship. The result is considerable wastage.
For this reason, many Bandanese fishermen support the idea of establishingan ice factory and a cannery on the islands. This would mean that income was more stable, and that fish caught when the boat was absent would still have commercial value. But Alwi stridently opposes the idea. He claims that it would produce pollution (which would damage the coral, and hence harm tourism.) But should he be allowed a veto on an issue of such importance to so many villagers?
3. Guesthouse licensing
It is in the name of conservation that Alwi has opposed the granting of licences to guesthouses on outlying islands, and the licensing of a rival scuba operator. He argues, perhaps correctly, that the greater the concentration of tourism, the less likely tourists are to damage coral or offend local sensibilities. But again, is this a decision that he should be allowed to make?
4. Plans for the future
In 1995 the question which worried most guesthouse and home-stay owners the most was whether Alwi would be able to close them down, in the name of preservation. At that time he was in negotiation with Amanresort, a chain of super-luxury hotels, in the hope that they would choose to build in Banda. Alwi's plan was then that there should be a limited number of beds available, at a range of prices that would firmly exclude the backpacker. This would involve a drastic reduction in the number of guesthouses, and a sharp price rise for the survivors. Needless to say, most guesthouse owners were fearfully up in arms at the prospect of the battle of wills they expected to follow.
Conclusion
Is this, in fact, an ethical issue? On the one hand it is a question of whether a non-elected individual should be able to determine what is best for a population who disagree - even if the Western observer might agree with the autocrat. But on the other hand, perhaps casting it as a moral question obscures its true nature as a strictly economic and power-laden issue.
Questions:
Can we talk about what Alwi 'should' be doing? Is this not a particularly stark case of conflict between the planner and the 'planned for'?
Who has the moral right to determine what should be done in these cases of conflict - or should the answer be dictated by economics?
Biography
Rachel Wrangham has a BA in History form Cambridge University and an MA in Social Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. She has lived in Britain, Thailand and Hong Kong, and has conducted research in India and Indonesia. She is returning to Indonesia in April 1998 for 6 months.