CONTEMPORARY BALI : Bali is not Fine Anymore

Having a great culture is not only an investment for Bali. Culture makes the society in this gods island have a point of view to be able to solve problems on its own. The cultural approach become a way to solve the problems that occur. This has become an opportunity for some people to position themselves in elite groups in Bali. They dictated themselves as great rulers and became actors of investment programs in Bali. These conditions make them have behalf to be accommodated in spatial planning and able to carry out capital projects. The book CONTEMPORARY BALI CONTESTED SPACE AND GOVERNANCE revealed this. The book by Agung Wardana, PhD contains of his views on the condition of contemporary Bali. The biggest weight of this book is the assessment of post-reform space and environmental issues, in the context of decentralization. The author sees the change from centralization to decentralization as a problem that causes environmental damage in Bali. This is indicated by the very large role of regencies / cities in the regulatory space and regulating their territorial space to achieve economic growth and increase regional income. This condition is also called a crisis condition by many studies. This Faculty of Law lecturer at the University of Gadjah Mada saw that the damage in Bali was not caused by the rational choice of the Balinese people who  changed from agriculture industry to tourism industry so that many fields were used as hotels and tourist attractions. Damage in Bali is not caused by external factors such as globalization and urbanization. Damage in Bali is not caused by state institutions that are not in accordance with the Balinese context. Damage in Bali is caused by power relations in Bali. People who will be easily get access to profit are the most powerful people. This can be seen through the political economy approach offered by the author in his book. This theory is made because it feels that the theories that discuss Bali are inadequate in explaining the things that are happening in Bali today. We must stop seeing Bali which is romantic or in fine condition. We must see Bali as a battle room and its fate is determined by the structure of the political economy in Bali. (yun)