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Original Message ----- From: asriana kebon Sent: Subject: Glad to help! Thanks and hope it helps you out a little. I'm back in Glad to help out and respect for your editing! Sri.
God
Bless you. Let me just pass on the relevant bits. (Angus has since backed
down and there are some inaccuracies in your spirited reply. Salam
Sanur, Made -----
Original Message ----- From: asriana kebon Sent: Subject: Re: Fw: Danger in Paradise-reply. Dear Pak Made, Please find my response to the e-mails below. Let me know
if you want me to reply to all or if you would like to pass this on. I have
sent a dear friend of mine in Byron a copy as she too is offended by what has
happened to Bali. Please wait a reply as I'm more than sure she will have a
defence for you too. Regards, Sri (Asriana Kebon) Dear Pak Made, As you are aware I am currently completing
my independent study on the effects of tourism and globalisation on
traditional Balinese architecture for CDU. I am writing this letter to you in
defence of you personally and in support of your stand against the
bastardisation of traditional Balinese architecture by hedonistic Western
entrepreneurs. The first issue that I wish to address is
the naivety of Andrew MacKenzie/ Angus Machlachlan/ Angus McFarlane (is this
the same person using AKA or is it some strange Celtic cult in Sinicism aside I found his letter to be
insulting to you personally and borderline libellous. As you are more than
aware Made, the managers of these franchised businesses and hotels come and
go but you dear friend stay on. In the grand scheme of things their opinion
of you means zero. It’s far better to be a world renowned ‘has been’ than an
anonymous ‘never was’. Perhaps Andrew/Angus has not been on this
island long enough to realise that your success in part has been due to the
patronage of one of Bali’s premier
Royal families, many of whom are
highly respected traditional architects. These powerful and united families are
far from being backward peasants, which were by the way his words, not yours.
These words clearly reflect his image of and attitude towards the Balinese. He may find you to be narrow -minded,
backward and childish but what he needs to understand is that
there are many of us who are like minded and if that is how he describes you,
then I am more than happy to put up my hand and say “me too”. If he listens
very carefully he will hear the voices of a cast of unemployed Balinese
contractors saying the same. Pak Made, you are not the only one in Putting principles of design and personal
tastes aside I have taken umbrage to many of Andrew’s comments and have spent
some time researching his company. Firstly, according to his company’s
web-site of 15 employees listed only 3 are Balinese. I fail to see how this
can be a majority. Secondly he refers to his competitors as unscrupulous.
This is from a company whose disclaimer states among other cautionary notes
that “any measurement or distance given, whether perceived or stated are
approximate only”. Ee gad! I for one like my measurements to be exact,
particularly when I am buying real estate. Finally, who does own Exotiq real estate?
It is a franchise of a company that operates out of the No Pak Made you do not owe these people
an apology and I would be very disappointed with you and with Hello If you are required to print a
retraction, then I am more than happy to take out an advertisement in the
same issue of HB, listing the names of all of the traditional Balinese
architects and contractors who support your endeavour. Move on Angus, I am sure that the people
of Sri.
Sri
Kebon Sayang, Please
please write something in my defense to the horrible Angus MacLachlan. Thanks. Made -----
Original Message ----- From: Hello Bali - Editor To: Sri Sudewi
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 7:06 PM Subject: Fw: Danger in Paradise Dear Made, I thought I
should let you see this letter from a rather angry real estate agent - the
same one that runs the ads you have commented on. I never change the content
or 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 Cc: d-gallmann@exotic-properties.com
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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