Don’t let it happen.
With the rash of recent problems with foreigners in Bali, there needs to be a real quick reality check. Why can all these foreigners like Russians get away with rudeness, belligerent behavior, and overstay? It seems that every foreigner wants to ignore the laws. No helmets, no shirts, no brains for that matter. Speaking from experience, a wipeout on a scooter can be painful. The least you can do is cover your head. The police should have a simple rule…
No helmet, no riding!
Oh, wait, the rule is already there but the enforcement is not quite up to par. This should go double for foreigners and if they enforced a $10 ticket the local government would be rich. Provided all the money went to the local government.
We all know Bali and Indonesia.
I have been pulled over and settled matters quite quickly. However, when it comes to your life we can look at it two ways. One… no helmet, no problem, it is your life, go risk it.
As for all the other drunken and unruly behavior and breaking the law for overstaying as well as illegal activities… Come now, we all know it is happening so you have two opinions. Crackdown on it or roll with the punches and set up a new way of taking care of such problems with nice hefty fines and carry on.
Actions speak louder than words and yet there is very little action on behalf of authorities.
What we don’t want is for things to get out of hand. However, that may already be too late. Once it’s in the news, things have escalated. So what to do next?
Reality check.
We all know how things are and what needs to be done. This does not only go for Russians. I mean look at the place they are from. They are at war and most people do not agree. Maybe make some new rules and new immigration measures for asylum? I am not a politician, I am only writing from my experience and the things that I see around me.
I do not want this place to turn into crap. I do not want it to be further and further westernized and make this a completely western-style island without any rules and regulations. Look at what is happening and act quickly. We all know that money talks here.
A pay & stay visa?
So have some monetary rules and regulations. How about a pay-and-stay visa? Simple… stay longer and pay more. We all know that the business visas and visa extensions are big business here. For the most part immigration and the system has been improved greatly but it is still quite the process. So how about making it easy? Easy and government do not go well together. How about a VOA Visa on arrival that one can stay longer with and yes pay more…
But follow the damn rules, you bunch of Bule fools!
Zsolt Zsemba 