A first time holiday excursion to Bali, one of the islands of the Republic of Indonesia (pop. 266 million) last month, transformed into a week of some pain and anguish. Indonesia is a third world country even more notorious for government corruption than India, ranked #96 in Transparency International’s 2018 league table — 15 places lower (i.e, more corrupt). Therefore one expected the heat, dust, chaos and blatant loot of visiting tourists and standard harassment of women which is commonplace in India’s public spaces.
However quite to the contrary, Bali is a haven equipped with excellent roads, infrastructure, hotels, restaurants and perhaps its most precious asset: well-mannered and disciplined citizenry. Although road traffic is painfully slow because of poor public transport systems, people quietly await their turn in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Car horns are seldom heard and cussing and fights between road users — normative back home — are rare.
These blessings are not gifts of providence. They are the outcome of a sound primary education system in which the 3 R’s apart, good manners, tolerance, social harmony and the practice of enlightened self-interest are included in school curriculums. Moreover reliable power supply, excellent roads, well-maintained public buildings and spaces, is proof that even if bribery is ubiquitous, jobs get done, and done well.
Yet, perhaps the unkindest cut of all during your over-worked editor’s Bali sojourn was a smooth as silk drive across a four-lane 13 km bridge spanning the sea linking Denpasar, Nusa Dua and Ngurah Rai International Airport. Weigh this against the conspicuous failure of our heavily subsidised IIT graduates to construct a bridge connecting Mumbai with the mainland, a mere 3 km as the crow flies. Forget about developed Western democracies, even corrupt third world countries have left us trailing way behind. Thus a restorative sojourn became a reminder of lost opportunities.
