The Member Of Commission X Said, Making A Naughty Bule Viral In Bali Is Not The Only Solution

Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Commission X asks foreign nationals (WNA) who commit violations in Indonesian territory to be dealt with firmly. Moreover, recently many foreigners in Bali have taken quite disturbing actions.

"We have legal apparatus, just enforce the applicable rules, so that anyone who violates the law, be it foreigners or Indonesian citizens in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, is dealt with in accordance with the applicable law," said Member of Commission X DPR, Andreas Hugo Pareira, Monday, May 29.

As is known, recently there have been many disturbing incidents involving foreigners in Bali. Starting from foreigners violating traffic, foreigners acting during Nyepi Day, to various actions involving other foreigners.

Most recently, a tourist from Germany went viral because he was naked on stage during a Balinese dance performance at Puri Saraswati Ubud. The foreigner made a fuss with the ticket attendants at the venue and had damaged the entrance to the performance.

There are also foreigners from Denmark who went viral because one of them grabbed and showed off his genitals. In addition, many foreigners were also found working in Bali even though they came on tourist visas.

"We must protect Indonesia's dignity, because this concerns state tourism. The Central Government must cooperate with the Regional Government to ensure improvement of the monitoring system for foreigners in Bali," said Andreas.

The progress of Bali tourism should not ignore the security and comfort of the Indonesian people themselves, especially residents living in Bali. Supervision of foreigners must be further improved.

"Because actually only a handful of foreigners have committed violations. Do not let their actions have an impact on the stigma of all other foreigners in Bali. Because this can have an impact on our tourism," he said.

Andreas also said that many foreigners visited Bali because they considered the natural beauty and cultural arts on the Island of the Gods. The comfort of Bali as a leading tourist destination should not be damaged because of the naughty behavior of foreigners.

"How can Bali be felt as a tourist destination that is comfortable if it is not safe? So the assertiveness and discipline of tourist rules implemented by the Government has an important role so that tourists still feel comfortable while in Bali," said Andreas.

"If there is no firmness from the authorities and prevention efforts, foreign tourists will also be lazy to come because they are worried about their safety and comfort," continued the legislator from the NTT I electoral district.

According to Andreas, maintaining the image of Bali can begin with the responsive attitude of the authorities and the Government towards citizen reports. Even so, he asked the public to see the problem of violations committed by foreigners in Bali.

"Don't exaggerate too much into political issues that can lead to anti-foreigners. That's why it can harm our tourism world. Violations by a handful of foreigners do not need to be generalized," he said.

Andreas said that the problem of foreigners 'naughty' actually does not only happen in Bali. However, because Bali is a tourist destination area, the problems of foreigners are often seen.

"Tourist cases or foreigners are not just foreigners. There are also foreigners who commit violations in Puncak, Bogor. That must also be overcome," said Andreas.

The public is also reminded to be careful in responding to violations committed by foreigners. If there are indications of violations by foreigners, Andreas appealed to the public to report to the authorities or interested parties.

'Villizing incidents of violation is not necessarily the answer to all problems. All parties do need to carry out surveillance, but supervision must be supported by evidence. So it is better to report it according to the right procedures so that law enforcement officials can act decisively," he said.

Andreas ensured that Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, which is one of its work duties related to tourism, will continue to oversee cases of 'naughty' foreigners.

"We must support the progress of Indonesian tourism. One of the efforts of the DPR RI to prevent violations of foreigners is through parliamentary diplomacy," said Andreas.

"Hopefully, policy makers of friendly countries can educate and provide socialization to their citizens who want to visit Indonesia," he concluded.