----- Original Message -----

To: PT WIJAYA TRIBWANA INTERNATIONAL ;

Sent: Saturday, May 14, 2005 3:29 PM

Subject: Draft for your comment (MW) penting

Dear Agnus MacLachlan,

My name is Pintor Sirait, director of Wijaya Words. I have been following the correspondence between you and Andrew Charles regarding Made Wijayas’s criticism towards the attitude of some real estate agencies, which are reflected in their many ads. in various publications, especially the ones which are insensitive, arrogant, ignorant and very often unaware of cultural taboos (for example: photos of models in inappropriate praying positions, etc).

I am a busy Indonesian artist who choose to be involved in Wijaya words because of MW’s continues dedication, support, promotion, documentation and interest in not only the Balinese culture but also in the various Indonesian cultures.

As an Indonesian, this is the least I can do to reciprocate MW’s passion defending our culture.

Made Wijaya has dedicated his live to explore, to investigate, to interact,to participate in real life as well as in his writings regardless of his very busy schedule as an architect internationally.

One of his passion is manifested in years of writing the Stranger In Paradise colom, which does go through a serious editorial process. I have been always asked for comments and am not always agreeing on all issues, but on this one, I was offended before read Made’s comments. It is ignorant, out of place and very insensitive towards our life style. Please, keep this kind of real estate selling pitch to your selves.

You also have to remember that MW’s comments came from having been involved seriously with this culture for three decades at a personal level and also professionally. He is currently the only expert in Balinese architecture, adat or traditional custom, traditional attires, etc.

Many of the real estate people are new comer and have only absorbed the surface of the Balinese culture.

I am an Indonesian like many others who possesses a strong sense of tolerance towards people from other culture (which we call ‘tamu’ here). I am also aware that it will take a long time for anyone to understand Bali and being able to be bicultural (having a true interest and a wide palate to appreciate and interact respectfully with the host culture). This is where Made is coming from and he has always expressed it the a humorous way.

You are very lucky that your ad has not been exposed to a more serious and critical audience (there are many non profit organizations and accredited academics) who will not hesitate to take legal action towards this kind of insensitivity.

I am not interested in a public show down, but please ask around not only to your peers, but dig in deeper and learn about cultural sensitivity. I can give you a list of accredited people, organizations, etc before you ask for a public apology. Your business concern are not high on a lot of Indonesian lists. We are struggling here to make ends meet and do not need this kind war. But if you persist then you are forcing me to get organized.

Sincerely yours,

Pintor Sirait

opinions expressed in your articles as the editing work I do for you is not in my capacity as Editor of Hello Bali; this is a private arrangement. Do you think I should comment on anything likely to be controversial? I personally think that it is the controversy that makes the column stand out from the rest of the magazine's contents but, from a business point of view, Angus does have a good point.
I'd appreciate some comments from you before I reply - please note especially the paragraph below that I have shown in red.

All the best,
Andrew

----- Original Message -----
From: Angus MacLachlan <mailto:a-maclachlan@exotic-properties.com>
To: Andrew Charles <mailto:andrew@fullproof.org>
Cc: d-gallmann@exotic-properties.com ; Alistair (U.K.) <mailto:speirs@indomulti.co.id>
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 9:49 AM
Subject: Danger in Paradise

Hi Andrew
I don't know what sort of editorial control you have at Hello Bali, but it is commercial suicide for a publisher to let contributors criticise the magazine they write for by slagging off the advertisers who support that magazine. To remind you here are some of Made Wijaya's words (in blue) in the May 2005 issue:

I think the Balinese are finally fed up with our boorish ways and our attempts to restyle their precious land as an Asian Ibiza. (this is an attack on practically everyone who advertises with HB as well as Ibiza).

I believe it was an ad. campaign by a luxury realty company which finally tipped the scales ? from benign acquiescence to militancy.

In the ads. an expat sits in the middle of an empty white room. The caption says: ?I thought I was renting a fully furnished villa?..but I ended up with an empty house.? (thank goodness we didn't have a Balinese, instead of the expat, sitting in the room..that would have been a double insult!)

Another one says: ?I thought I had a 30 year lease on a piece of land ??..until I discovered a road runs through it.?

Message: the cagey Balinese have done it again. (I'm completely lost now)

?Go rent something in your own country then,? a Balinese friend of mine reacted when shown these ads.

I am the first to be respectful and appreciative of the Balinese, but how can MW assume that everytime anyone says anything on this Island it is specifically targeted at the Balinese, as a race? We are very careful in these ads to talk about 'agents' not 'Balinese'; our target is unscruplous agents, most of whom are western managed by the way. How he turns "Too often property agents don't tell you the full story" (taken from our ad featured in May edition) into a humilation of the Balinese I don't understand. In fact we don't even mention the word 'Bali' in the body copy at all.

Situations we talk about in our ads happen all over the world, we run the same ads in Phuket....Bali isn't trapped in a time warp as MW believes; all the Balinese I meet are glowingly proud of the fact that their Island has gained a reputation as one of the most sophisticated destinations in the world. I think that MW is insulting the people of Bali as he talks about them as a bunch of backward peasants who need his protection...its pathetic. Its not just me who feels this way about MW, most of the 5 star General Managers think that he is a total 'has-been', how on earth can tourists reading HB be remotely interested in what he has to say? Seriously, this is not good for your magazine...in my day in the hotel biz HB was in every 5 star bedroom in Bali....you hardly ever see it now; could MW be a reason?

It doesn't take a genius to work out which 'luxury realty company' he is refering to in his article, particularly as one of the ads he was referring to was featured on page 5 of the same edition, so its clear that his words will have a damaging impact on our brand. We therefore need him and HB to retract them.

We require a printed apology, on the 'Stranger in Paradise' page in the June 2005 edition. This apology should say something to the effect: "Further to comments I made in last months Stranger in Paradise when I referred to the advertisements of a luxury real estate company I would like to apologise for any offence caused to Exotiq Real Estate, their staff, vendors and customers (most of whom are Balinese). It was wrong to suggest that their advertising was insulting to the Balinese people"

If MW cannot bring himself to apologise then we expect the Editor to publish the same apology, on the same Stranger in Paradise page.

I also respectably suggest that you undertake some sort of editorial control to ensure that your contributors don't damage the magazine in the way that MW does. I notice that you are now the Official magazine of the Bali Tourism Board, congratulations, but its not a great reflection on Bali tourism if you promote the narrow minded, backward and childish views of individuals such as MW.

Please let me know what you are going to do about this.

Many thanks
Angus MacLachlan

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