It's two o'clock in the morning. A young man, his wife, and baby are asleep on the floor of their small room. Without warning, there is a terrific banging on the wall outside, followed by shouts to wake up and open the door. These commands are followed by blows to the door itself—a flimsy barrier at best, the latch already buckling under the pressure of repeated kicks. The family awakes in terror, baby hysterical, mother panicked, and the disoriented young husband peering out the small window desperately trying to determine what is amiss. In the dim light, he sees a group of men in uniform who are demanding immediate access to his home. Trembling with fear, he lets them in—to be threatened, abused, and occasionally beaten.
Where does this scene take place? In Nazi Germany? In Stalinist Russia? In Taliban Afghanistan? No, it repeats itself nightly right here in 'peace-loving Bali' as the banjar mafia make their rounds. Unknown to all tourists and most ex-pats, these thugs terrorize the group of people least able to defend themselves against intimidation, physical assault, and extortion. In the name of security, banjar goons demand and receive money from any Indonesian resident not 'native' to the neighborhood—specifically, less-skilled and low-salaried workers from other islands. The banjar's 'fundraising' activities are tolerated by the police, accepted by the island's government, and ignored by Indonesian human rights groups.
Supposedly the banjar are keeping track of transients in the neighborhood. In fact, banjar offices share no data with either the government or the police. Their activities have but one single purpose: to bleed money from a large group of people who are virtually defenseless because here they have no constituency and no protection. Never mind that they take the most menial, underpaid, and dangerous jobs. Not a single organization, government or NGO, is looking out for them. Moreover, most Balinese could not care less...
Why are only bule outraged? Why doesn't every patriot object? The banjar's victims are Indonesian citizens, not undocumented workers from some foreign nation. Without a valid national identity card (KTP) they cannot enter Bali, so country of origin is not an issue. What is at issue remains the ability of a Gestapo to intimidate, terrorize, and extort an underclass—while more privileged neighbors are either determined not to notice or to look the other way!
For shame...