This article is part of the Eleven Stories from the Southeast written by Muhammad Sibawaihi, Otty Widasari and Manshur Zikri, published by Forum Lenteng in 2016. We re-upload it on the AKUMASSA website in the framework of the “Darivisual”.
Every Thursday evening at dusk, Buddhist Society of Dusun Tebango, Pemenang District, North Lombok, perform their ritual ablutions in the sea water at Bangsal beach. It has been done for a long time. The Hindu community in the Pemenang district whose ancestors came from Bali also has a religious ritual in Bangsal beach. Three days (tilem Kesanga) before the celebration of Nyepi Day, they release the offerings at sea. The sea is their link with the tradition of their ancestors in Bali Island. The most of Pemenang people of whom the majority are Muslim also believe that the sea water could cure various diseases, and they bring their sick children to wash themselves in Bangsal beach. In essence, the spacious Bangsal beach is the property of all citizens of Pemenang to live, socialize and carry out each of their beliefs.
When all three Gili (small island), Gili Air, Gili Trawangan and Gili Meno, rapidly expand into domestic and international tourist destination, the harbor is also developed. Various infrastructure buildings for the tourism sector, the concrete piers, the boats anchoring area and public transportation that serves the tourists use vast territory on the shoreline. The people slowly leave Bangsal. Religious rituals and beliefs remain, occupying a small portion of remaining coast and could be considered not too polluted by the tourism waste and ships’ fuel. Bangsal is not the heart of Pemenang’s society anymore. This affects the mentality of the people who eventually get used to the economic sector of tourism that constantly penetrates the pillars of life.
Tourism is not a scapegoat of the current situation in Pemenang. However the contact between the tourism development and the local culture is an issue that has not been managed well in Pemenang.
Gili Trawangan
In front of a hotel, a large white screen faced the sea. A projector was projecting the movie Transformer onto it. A few people were lying on the long chairs, engrossedly watching the heroic scene of Optimus who fought against other robots. Meanwhile my friends and I were sitting and chatting accompanied by a few cups of coffee.
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Suandi told us, that one day, The Boss had had an irresponsible manager. He had asked the manager to make some local inns with a considerable cost. Since The Boss had not lived at Trawangan, and had only come to visit a few times a year, it had made the manager foolishly cheat his own employer. When The Boss had returned to Trawangan, the expected building had not been completed yet, instead, the workman who had been asked to build the inn had asked for an extra fee to the Boss. The workman himself had admitted that he had not been paid decently.
Finally, The Boss had tested the manager to make the accountability report of the use of the fund. From one, two, three days, one week to weeks, the report had not been finished yet. At that time, Suandi, as a staff, had become The Boss’s confidant. The Boss had finally asked for Suandi’s help to finish the financial report. Since Suandi himself had not understood how to make a financial report, without the knowledge of The Boss, Suandi had asked his friend, Agus, to help him with the complicated issue that had been happening in the company where he had worked.
Suandi had been very surprised. He could not believe what he had seen when Agus helped him to make the report. Only in a matter of hours, Agus had completed the report, which the manager could not finish in a few weeks. Agus had also taught Suandi some important things in managing and making a financial report.
The next day, The Boss had also been very surprised to see Suandi’s work. The Boss had not understood why the report from the manager had not been finished yet in weeks. Finally, The Boss had decided to fire the manager and to replace him with a new manager. Initially, Suandi had been offered the job. However Suandi had not dared to take such an important position. Finally, The Boss had asked Syahrir to take that important position. Syahrir had been Suandis’s friend. They had worked together at the same place. Syahrir had then agreed, as long as the other friends had supported him to take the leadership role.
After the work of the fired manager had been completed, The Boss had returned to his country and handed over the company to Syahrir, Suandi and their friends.
As workers, Syahrir, Suandi and their friends had done the job like any other worker. There had been a very little communication between them and The Boss. Every now and then when The Boss had called and asked about his company, Suandi and his friends had always said, “It’s all good, Boss!”
Until one day, when The Boss had had the opportunity to go back to Trawangan, he had gathered all the workers. The Boss had been very surprised by the condition of his workers now who had behaved in a sensible way. The condition had been completely different from the previous manager. The previous manager had had many ideas and concepts. He had wanted to make this and that, would change this and that and various other brilliant ideas. Nevertheless, the ideas that had been created had not gone well, in fact it had harmed the company. While at that moment, the manager and the workers had had no ideas, had not made this and that, but the financial condition of the company had been safe.
The humility, or perhaps the ‘nonchalant’ strategy applied by Suandi and his friends had succeeded in captivating The Boss. Now, the management was completely entrusted to them. So, when The Boss was not around, they were the ‘boss’.
In the past, before working in the tourism, Aziz was active in various organizations and youth groups. Apparently, this organizational background made Aziz’s heart was called to defend the interests of his fellow workers, in a company in Trawangan.
Aziz felt that he needed to take a stand on the action of the company which forced the employees too much. The working hours were long but the appreciation from the company was low. Many of his friends complained. Too often hearing the complaints, Aziz finally mustered up courage to talk to the owner of the company, defending the rights of his friends to get something better.
Aziz went to his boss, he sued. He sued on behalf of all his friends. But Aziz was unlucky. The demand he proposed was not responded by The Boss. The Boss then gathered all of the workers, asking them about Aziz’s demand. The Boss threatened to fire those who resisted. Finally, none of the workers supported Aziz’s effort to fight for them. The workers were silent. Aziz could not do anything. Even more, Aziz was heartbroken seeing his friends did not support his effort. Instead of being supported, Aziz was blamed for his action that could harm other friends. The boss decided to fire Aziz. Finally, Aziz left the company.
This is the reality of the life of tourism at Trawangan. Being a hero is not something great and to be proud of. The situation can turn 180 degrees from the movie Transformer that was screened on the white screen, about the heroism that ended with the victory. This is not the reality of the movie. And the hero is not more than a pile of garbage that could do harm.
There is another interesting story, before I associate it with a different reality in Pemenang. Suandi and his friends, once, wanted to create an event on the beach which was in front of their workplace. They wanted to make a sort of impermanent building to serve the tourists. Basically, the construction along the coast in Trawangan was illegal. In fact, some time ago, the North Lombok government intended to curb many buildings along the coast in Trawangan, but it clashed with the entrepreneurs there instead.
Suandi was just attaching some posters to some pine trees on the beach in front of the company where they worked, when a bunch of teenagers, on behalf of youth groups, rejected the action of using the beach for commercial purposes. The teenagers’ reason was that the beach should not be constructed of any building. Suandi and his friends stopped their activity. Suandi then asked why they should not do it, while in front of them, tens or even hundreds of permanent buildings stood along the Trawangan coast and not even one party sued.
That group of young men did not care. Suandi and his friends could not make anything on the beach at any rate. The youth group even threatened to destroy whatever was there. Suandi challenged that group to do the same thing to dozens of buildings that stood firmly along the Trawangan coast. But the young men said that the existing buildings had obtained permission. “Who does grant the permission?” asked Suandi. “Then, just because we are the local residents who don’t have the money to pay, we are not allowed? Why are the buildings owned by foreigners allowed?” The questions could not be answered.
In Trawangan, there is a great power that is playing and controlling. That power silences anyone, and finally, permits anything. This power does not only exist in Gili Trawangan, but also at Pemenang so that many imbalances then happen in the conduct of people’s social life. This is the tourism. The one, who is rich and rules, has the full power.
One example that I often experience, that something similar also happens in Pemenang, is the condition of Bangsal Harbor, the strong one rules. The one who has a lot of money is a priority. The poor one is marginalized. The one who does not give anything will be thrown out, away from the arena. All is oriented to money. It is not wrong, but less correct. Money can be an important thing, but the more important thing is the humanity.
This is what Pasirputih tries to promote in the process of akumassa Chronicle, also in the event of Pesat Rakyat Bangsal Menggawe 2016: Membasaq. Pasirputih wants to prove that the citizens have power, an absolute power over any force. The citizens’ strength is not measured by money, is not measured by material things they have. But, the power of the community is measured by togetherness and a sense of belonging. So, the strength of the community should be able to negotiate with any power. The people’s power could overthrow the regime, could silence the dictatorship, could burn the power of money and could make any strength helpless.
I can imagine, if only Aziz’s friends stayed together, fighting for their rights together, The Boss certainly could not do anything. Their chance of getting their rights as workers was wide-open. But again, this is the reality of tourism.
So, Pasirputih, through AKUMASSA Chronicle Art Project which is initiated by the Forum Lenteng Jakarta, would like to invite the public to realize their power again, which is the power of cultural roots, the power of unity in diversity and the power of mutual respect and upholding the values of humanity.
Those are some points that appear in people’s life in Pemenang, a town that still has the power of fraternity despite their different beliefs, the power to assist and help each other although each person has different interests and activities. In Pemenang, it is reflected how the religious tolerance is very well established, where the mosque is built by people who have different beliefs.
Here in this town, a conflict between religions has never happened, let alone a war. Here, every religious community has a strong brotherly bond. However, it does not rule out the possibility that this harmonious Pemenang can suddenly become very individualized, very selfish and very arrogant, when tourism viruses enter tourism and spread throughout its body.
Pasirputih, as an idea to create a Pemenang society that continues to keep the togetherness, harmony and brotherhood, feels that it is necessary to bind all that has been established since the time of the reign of King Bali Anak Agung Gede Agung more tightly. So Pasirputih starts that bond from Bangsal Harbor. Why should it start from Bangsal?
Pemenang, Past and Present
There had been almost no trace of history which could be used as a reference about Pemenang in Pemenang District. Later, I found out this reason from one of the religious leaders in Pemenang, Mr. Nengah Karuna, that it was impossible that Pemenang had no tradition and historical record. But where were those historical facts hidden?
According to the memory of Mr. Nengah Karuna, when the change of regime happened in the past, there was some sort of mending in the livelihood of the Muslims of Indonesia by the New Order regime. Various local religious activities which were deemed not in accordance with the religious law were removed completely. And it happened all across North Lombok region. Reportedly, all of our historical evidence was thrown away.
But actually, through some of the available evidence, it shows that there is a strong relation between people of Bayan, Sokong (Tanjung) and Pemenang because there is a discovery of the same lontar (papyrus) in these three locations. In addition, there are also lontar, which tell about the spread of Islam in North Lombok, which have similar stories and are stored at several sacred locations in each of those places.
Some people who try to discover the history of North Lombok say that for some places, the history is very clear. But for the history of Pemenang, it is still confusing. Perhaps, Pemenang has a relation with Sheikh Malaka who came to spread Islam in North Lombok. It might also have a relation with Bapuq Bayang, or might also have something to do with Gajah Mada expansion after conquering Bali, or maybe the fall of Majapahit ultimately made some Majapahit authorities escape, so that they arrived at this North Lombok. However, it is just a ‘story’ of a history, especially when we have no authentic evidence to prove the story. All could be true, depending on each version. If we want to really dig it, according to Mr. Karuna Nengah, we need to go to Leiden Museum, Netherlands.
The confusion about Pemenang history makes the chance for analysis and historical studies wide-open. Various opinions circulate among the community. It is alright. But the story is not necessarily true.
There are two versions that are commonly known to the public about the origin of the name of Pemenang. The first one is the version I hear from a young figure in Pemenang, Herman Zohdi, S.Pd.I. He had the opportunity to conduct a research on several villages in North Lombok. He explains that from his research findings about Pemenang which was performed around 1994, the word Pemenang comes from the legend of Bapuq Bayang. Bapuq in English means grandfather and Bayang (shadow) is a nickname given by the community to the figure because of his ability to replicate himself or to make a replica of him.
One time, a kingdom wanted to attack Pemenang. At that time, Pemenang’s ruler who had a relation with Karang Asem Kingdom in Cakra was upset. However Bapuq Bayang, who had been a security officer at Pemenang for a long time, was ready to counter the attack alone. When the attack from the enemy was coming, Bapuq Bayang duplicated himself. The enemy became afraid seeing so many soldiers were ready to fight them. Eventually, feeling outnumbered, the enemy retreated, and Pemenang won the battle. Because of that victory, Bapuq Bayang was called Pemenang, which eventually became the name of Pemenang District. (In Nengah Karuna’s version, Pemenang was not attacked, but Anak Agung who asked the troops—one of them was Bapuq Bayang—to attack).
The second story I get from a Mangku Ayu, in Jeliman Ireng, East Pemenang Village, Pemenang District. The name of the Mangku Ayu is Mr. Jenalip. He tells me that in Pemenang there was a magic gong which now is located in Jeliman Ireng. One day, an army would attack Pemenang. Pemenang residents who had already known about the enemy attack reported to the other Pemenang residents. Thus, the elder of Jeliman Ireng, who knew about the danger, hit the gong. Once the gong was hit, the ground where the soldiers who would attack the Pemenang stood instantly vibrated. The earthquake occurred and killed many of those soldiers. Finally, the leader of the soldiers ordered to retreat. He thought that the nature did not allow them to attack Pemenang. Since then the word Pemenang had been pinned to the location which bordered with the Gili Islands in the north and the Sinjong Hill in the south because the Pemenang citizens had already won before the battle.
Regardless of the confusion of Pemenang history, today Pemenang becomes a district. In the past, Pemenang was still a village and was part of Tanjung District. Currently Pemenang District has 5 villages: West Pemenang Village, East Pemenang Village, Malaka Village, Gili Indah Village and Persiapan Menggala Village. The center of Pemenang District is located in two villages, East Pemenang Village and West Pemenang Village. This downtown of Pemenang is later called Pemenang City.
Then, various activities in Pemenang are reflected in the Bangsal Harbor itself. Various activities of the local community enliven Bangsal. In the morning, we will meet a wide range of activity, from the workers, ticket sellers, souvenir sellers, the passengers, fishermen, cidomo drivers and various other activities. While in the afternoon, we will find children playing along the beach in Bangsal. Some of them play ball, swim, look for shells and the most impressive thing is how the residents come with their families to enjoy pelecing kangkung in Bangsal.
Since a long time ago, various activities of the citizens of Pemenang could be found in Bangsal, as well as the three religions in Pemenang. Not infrequently we see the activity of worship and religious rituals that are carried out there.
Based on Mr. Nengah Karuna’s memory, when he was a child and Bangsal’s condition was not like now, where the sand was still widespread and permanent buildings were not many, at full moon and even almost every night, they played at Bangsal. Mr. Nengah and his friends had a good time in Bangsal.
I still remember myself that I and my friends had a memorable time in Bangsal. The interesting events colored my childhood there. I still remember the moment when we were chased by a dog while passing the Hindus village in north of Pemenang intersection. The sound of a boat man who scolded us when we were jumping off the boat still rings in my ears. Also how our hands and feet sank into the sand while we were looking for shells. We also still felt the spicy taste of sambal pelecing kangkung on our tongues, while we were throwing our bodies into the sea.
When my father moved from West Lombok to North Lombok to perform his duty as a teacher around the late 60’s, the name Bangsal had already been used by the citizens. My father did not turn down either the possibility that the meaning of Bangsal which was embedded in the words Pelabuhan Bangsal had the same meaning as the meaning of ‘bangsal‘ used in mentioning a set of rooms in a hospital.
In KBBI, the word ‘bangsal’ can mean: 1. a wooden house (for warehouses, stables, etc.); 2. a shed without interior walls (in the market, etc.); 3. a big house (for meetings, exercising, playing, performing, etc.); 4. a barrack; and 5. Plots (Kamus Bahasa Indonesia, 2008, p. 135). Bangsal Harbor itself has been used as a gathering location for a long time. In Bangsal Harbor, various trading activities take place.
According to my father, in Bangsal in the past, there were many huts built (a kind of fish auction location), where all types of fish that had been caught by local fishermen had been sold. Not only that, Bangsal also became a selling place for variety of crops from various regions around North Lombok, such as Tembobor, Nipah, Malimbu, Mentigi and Gili Ayer (now Gili Air). At that time, there had been no resident yet in Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. The people used the boat because there had been no road access to Pemenang yet. “The road towards Sengigi was just constructed in 1982. I still remember, when the asphalting happened, I carried my bike to Nipah,” he said.
My father also remembers when he was at school, he was asked to memorize all small islands (Gili) in Lombok. For the three Gili in Pemenang District, in the Map of Lombok Island at the time they were written as: Gili Ayer, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Besides, also from my father’s description that we know that in North Lombok there were 4 Gili (small island). Another Gili that has not been mentioned above is Gili Cupek, which today is known as Sira Indah area. Because of the nature factor, the water between the Gili Cupek strait and its main island, in this case is the Lombok Island, receded.
But this phenomenon had happened long before my father was born. My father himself heard this story from his parents. Cupek is taken from the Balinese language. It means small. It was named Cupek because geographically of the four existing Gili at that time, Gili Cupek is the smallest Gili.
After the fish and other goods were taken to Pemenang through the Bangsal Harbor, they were sold in Peken Lauq (North Market). The market location was today’s Pemenang intersection, from BRI to the south and from the road to Bangsal to the alley towards Gubuk Bali (the name of a Hindu village). All the goods were sold there. Sometimes, the goods were brought to Teben (the term used by the North Lombok people to call the Mataram area).
So indeed, the Pemenang City area has been a place of business for the citizens around Pemenang District for a long time.
My father also tells me about a figure in Pemenang who was trusted to be the mediator between Japanese Army and Pemenang citizens. His name was Bapuq (grandpa) Maing. When I was a boy, my playmates and I were often gathered by Bapuq Maing to hear his stories. It was around the year of 1995. At that time I was still in elementary school. For us at the time, hearing the story of Bapuq Maing was an amazing experience. Bapuq Maing did not tell us the stories of his heroism, for example, fighting against the invaders. Instead, he told us his story as a native who had no power at the time, who was forced to obey the invaders, though his heart was eager to defend himself and his people. Those stories, by Bapuq Maing were packed with humor that was very entertaining, for example, about how he fooled the invaders by using North Lombok Sasak language. Occasionally, he spoke to the invaders with dirty words. It was a kind of way to channel his resentment. When the invaders asked him the meaning of the words, he immediately translated them into good sentence. Besides telling the story of the Netherlands and Japan, once in a while we were lined like the soldiers who were ready to fight. He issued a warning, as I remembered; the recall was frequently in Japanese. He taught us marching Nippon style. In addition, he taught us some Japanese vocabularies that he knew such as numbers and the objects that surrounded us. At that time, as we knew, he was like a history and language teachers who was very excellent and well known by the kids.
From my father’s story about Bapuq Maing, we know that Bangsal has also been used as a Liaison and Logistics Post for the Japanese army in Trawangan. Trawangan has once been used as a fortress by the Japanese Army. If we visit Trawangan today, on the hill in the west, we will find a cave that used to be the headquarters of the Japanese Army. There is still a place to put the cannon at the mouth of the cave. I had the opportunity to go there, watching the remains of a history. The cannon itself is stored in the Museum of NTB, Mataram.
The explanation from my father is the same as what is told by Nengah Karuna. He also explains why people of Pemenang called the harbor area Bangsal. It was because many people gathered there. Bangsal did not only become a location where the sellers and buyers of goods gathered, but various cultural activities were also held there by the citizens, for example, the various Hindu’s religious activities in Pemenang was often held in Bangsal.
What appears today in Bangsal Harbor was the reflection of Bangsal in the past, although as the time goes by, there are many things that go missing in Bangsal. What are the things that go missing from Bangsal?
Imaginary Line: One God and Three Loves In Pemenang
The history of the religious harmony in Pemenang was not made-up. Based on the developing story in public life, in Pemenang, this harmony has indeed already existed for a long time, even when Anak Agung Nengah Subagan who was sent by Anak Agung Gede Agung (King of Karang Asem kingdom that controlled Lombok at that time) led and governed Pemenang. At the time, Anak Agung Gede Agung’s need was to expand the power in Lombok.
But when the Puputan War happened, a war between the Karang Asem Kingdom and Uni Kedatuan in Lombok at that time, Pemenang was not affected by the war because Anak Agung Nengah Subagan governed well. He did not treat the religions differently between Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Even in a writing of Rosmayadi, one of the authors when the first AKUMASSA program was run in Pasirputih, according to sources that he interviewed, in Pemenang Anak Agung Nengah Subagan had been able to please all components of society which consisted of those three religions, and had involved them in the management of his administration.
One proof of this religious harmony in Pemenang was reflected by the Jamiul Jamaah Mosque, Karang Pangsor Village. Jamiul Jamaah literally meant togetherness of society. At that mosque, the Pemenang community made three pillars which symbolized the togetherness of society. Each pillar was built by each religion.
Until today, the togetherness is still felt. If the members of one religious community are celebrating a ceremony and a religious event, then the members of other religious communities happily help the activity.
Each member of the religious community practices their religion in accordance with their own religious law. But in terms of social interaction, Pemenang community has one God, the God who loves peace. So in terms of religious harmony, Pemenang deservedly comes up as the pilot area.
This awareness what Pasirputih tries to emphasize to the Regional Government and all citizens of Pemenang, not only to show the Three Gili as the tourist icon, but also to show that the three religions in Pemenang could become an international benchmark to see how to live together in diversity.
But do not imagine that the story of religious harmony that I describe above as a flawless story that does not have obstacles and challenges, especially if we try to relate the reality and phenomenon in Pemenang today with what Nietzsche called as “Gott ist tot” (the dead of God).
In a paper written by my friend, Anhar Putra Iswanto, when he was a speaker at Kelas Wah Pasirputih Program (17th of April, 2016), he wrote that this cynicism was a form of criticism to social reality, that God had been killed by the power of absolutism of-which was actually relativism that became-the “New God” for human. Furthermore, Anhar wrote about the emergence of criticism from Michel Foucault in the 60s that predicted the “death of man”, that the concept of human as a special category would disappear. The human will lose their central place in science, education, culture, social, politics, religion and various fields of human life. Foucault also said that human would not become the ruler even of themselves.
I think it is not an exaggeration to quote a little from what was previously disclosed by Nietzsche and Foucault about the condition of this age because what actually appears in Pemenang nowadays is like to lead the community to that downfall. It is slow, but sure. Little by little, the cultural roots, religion, comradery, education and other aspects of life of Pemenang community are undermined.
The Pemenang society who won before the battle, the harmony of religious community, Bangsal as the meeting point of the local culture, the harmony and solidarity become a kind of fairy tale. It does not really exist. Even for the garbage problem, the Pemenang society has to hand it over to and blames the other party. To serve guests, the Pemenang society does not use polite words anymore. Let alone between different religions, even among the members of one religion internally, the dispute and fight happen. The Pemenang blueprint before, about which was told by the old people, about the layout of each village that supported each other, now undermines each other instead, due to the frequent fights, simply because of a football game, illegal street racing, drunkenness, even the Takbiran Parade of Idul Fitri.
This uncertainty, in my opinion, is caused by the act of a ‘culprit’. There is a culprit in Pemenang that is not realized by its own society. The culprit undermines the Bangsal Harbor. The culprit enters the lifestyle of young people. The culprit enters the recitation of Al Qur’an and religious mantras. The culprit transforms into anything and goes anywhere. It enters the sports, markets, schools and even the minds of all citizens of Pemenang. The culprit I mean is the Tourism Industry.
When the West Lombok officially released the North Lombok to become independent Regency, the hopes of tourism workers in the matter of promotion and the improvement of North Lombok were increasing, especially now that the tourism is the main program of the North Lombok Regency Government. The tourism is then valued as one of determining factors for the welfare of society. Of course this valuation is not completely wrong because after all, after a period of time, it is embedded in the minds of citizens about tourism.
Pemenang District then becomes the gate of North Lombok Tourism. Every activity must be motivated by the premise to participate in the success of tourism. The educational activities are for the tourism. The ritual and cultural activities support the tourism. The art is prepared to become a tourist spectacle. Even religion is used as a selling product of tourism.
From the national government to village government, all is about the tourism. All use the tagline “Visit Indonesia”, “Visit Lombok”, “Visit Sumbawa” and various other “visits”. Now, there are other new slogans in Lombok tourism: Religious Tour, Shari’a Tour and Halal Tour.
Then the questions arise. Who is the tourism exactly for? Then, do the people really need the tourism? How do we see and judge the stories about ambiguous realities which I write above? Don’t we consider the multiple conflicts that arise because of the tourism? What about the case of residents’ land that has been sold out to the investors? How about the fight between the locals and immigrants over the profitable land in Trawangan? Then, how far can we feel the condition of Pemenang’s tradition artists who until today have not received the tourism success? And the final question, who does really enjoy the tourism?
Tourism Is a Necessity
A beautiful nature does not always bring benefit, especially if the irresponsible hands have already entered. But the Pemenang society is at least grateful to be given the green hills and the beautiful blue sea, as well as the Three Gili with their white sand that can attract anyone to come.
That tourism is a necessity; there is nobody in Pemenang who could resist it and Pasirputih could not either. So, the Pasirputih movement today is moving the society to care for and maintain Pemenang, its people and the most important thing is preserving the nature and the environment.
Since it is necessary, then the tourism needs a lot of improvement because I am very aware that a lot of my relatives, family, neighbors and friends earn money for living from that field. And from them I get the complaints about the tourism.
They complain about the convenience of tourists, about the chaotic Bangsal, about the ticket mafia, about the workers who do not serve well, about drugs, about prostitution and various other problems. However, instead of fixing the problem, the Government massively promotes the tourism. This is the opposite of cutting your coat according to your cloth.
Recently in the local newspaper, there were many people who highlighted on the fake tickets case that involved certain elements. And then in other news there were also reported that the Treasurer of the Tourism Agency disappeared and the relation of this problem with other agencies. Meanwhile with the very large amount of revenue from tourism, the garbage can problem in Bangsal was not solved. The issue of labor discipline was still just a discourse. How much profit from the tourism that was distributed to the community of Pemenang? Some time ago, I met the Regional Secretary of North Lombok. He said, “The most important thing of our tourism now is improvement. The promotion problem of the Three Gili has already been solved. Now the most important thing is improvement.” This expression would be good to be taken into consideration.
In Islamic history, we know the term ‘hijrah’ from the origin of the word ‘Hajara’ which means moving from one place to another. The biggest Hijrah in the history of Islam was done by Muhammad SAW and his followers to Yatsrib. On Friday, the 12th of Rabi’ul Awal, coinciding with the 24th September 622, Muhammad SAW and his followers arrived in Yatsrib, welcomed with warmth and a tight brotherhood. Yatsrib itself was a quiet town which had fertile soil and plenty of water. Its society consisted of farmers and traders. Yatsrib also had a potential geographical location as a trade route. If we compare the North Lombok with Yatsrib, there is a similarity between both of them. North Lombok has fertile soil and people who make a living from agricultural and field product. Most importantly, a special note for Pemenang is that it becomes a strategic connecting location of tourism (business and commercial district).
The interesting thing about Muhammad SAW’s strategy is how he combined two great powers. They were the power of muhajirin (immigrants) and the power of anshor (local people who were ready to help). With those two great powers, Yatsrib later changed its name to Medina Al-Munawwarah, a city that full of light. We can see these two powers in the process of AKUMASSA Chronicle.
Started From Bangsal
Bangsal is an important point which has recently started to be abandoned. Bangsal is just passed, it is no longer popular. Bangsal is a self-cleaning bathing place that we have forgotten. Since Bangsal is forgotten, then Pemenang is forgotten too, to the unresolved drain problem, which recently caused the disaster in Pemenang, flood. Pasirputih, as a part of Pemenang community’s life, has a strong intention not to let Pemenang be out of supervision.
Pasirputih started from Bangsal Harbor, a very important point in the history of Pemenang community, a point that had been storing millions of people’s memory since the first time Pemenang’s community had been formed. “If there is a leak on our roof, find the hole immediately.” That was probably what was actualized in Bangsal Menggawe 2016: Membasaq.
Pasirputih had a strong belief that Bangsal was the medication for that because the citizens of Pemenang indeed cured themselves by taking a bath with the sea water (membasaq) there. The three religions in Pemenang often held the rituals there. Various social organizations were established and developed there. Bangsal Menggawe 2016: Membasaq invited the entire Pemenang community to have a good time again in Bangsal. Sometimes we needed to draw away from an object to really recognize it. That was what happened in Pemenang. The greatness of Gili made people forget that in fact they had a bright star, that Pemenang also had great potential, not to become a ‘gateway of tourism’, but to become a main tourist destination. And I thought the most important thing from Bangsal Menggawe 2016: Membasaq was that the history of Bangsal and Pemenang which had been buried all this time by the tourism industry rose at that time. Bangsal that had no longer been owned by the citizens all this time, at the time, really belonged to the citizens.
The Ambiguity of Reality
Since the beginning, people have always been demanding justice or wanting to receive fair treatment from anyone. There is always the authority everywhere that oppresses the weak and minorities. There are people who think that they understand the reality that they dominate the idea. In life, the reality is sometimes deliberately obscured to achieve certain dreams. Furthermore, those who feel oppressed by the domination and authority rebel, demanding equality. The uprising that has happened throughout the history of the world is not merely a movement to get the material, but rather on how people live equally. The equality that I mean is not uniformity, but a respect for others.
In the case of Pemenang, I am just afraid that all this time we have been building a fictitious identity of Pemenang society by industrializing the tourism. “It is merely a human’s pretense and tendency that they feel they could find what is identical in what is chaotic, feeling able to unify what is diverse… This is a dangerous pretension because it oppresses the plurality for the sake of a fictitious identity.” (Wibowo, 2004, p. 122).
Surely Pemenang can be formulated as long as the consideration of what we refer to as ‘on equal terms’ should be prioritized. Once again it is not in the realm of material because I myself believe in the abstract ideas that are more perfect than reality itself, when we consider the hidden quality behind something.
There is a spirit that disappears by the pounding sound of music of tourism party, by the hotel walls that are built, by the ‘culprit’ that transforms social into individual. That is what the citizens of Pemenang stand for now: the youth, community leaders, religious leaders and those who really love Pemenang. That spirit is the unity of Pemenang in its diversity.
Pemenang, April 20th, 2016
Bibliography
Sugono, D., Sugiyono, Maryani, Y., Qodratillah, M. T., Sitanggang, C., Hardaniwati, M., et al. (Ed.). (2008). Kamus Bahasa Indonesia (IV ed.). Jakarta: Pusat Bahasa.
Wibowo, A. S. (2004). Gaya Filsafat Nietzsche. (S. Dema, Ed.) Yogyakarta: Galang Press (Anggota IKAPI).
Author Biography
