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Waiting
for the Balinese Reading Paper in Balinese
Character
If you’re a journalist or media enthusiast,
spending holidays in Bali, you must be interested
to observe the appreciation of the Balinese
community towards the existence of mass
media, either the printed ones like newspaper
and magazine or electronic like radio, television,
including the Internet that is growing rapidly
at recent times. From this appreciation,
you could predict the growth and development
of mass media in Bali.
In a general sense, the appreciation of
the Balinese community towards the mass
media, primarily the printed media, indeed
has not been satisfying yet. It is discernible
from the lowness of reading interest of
the community. Just observe at public places
like terminal on waiting for departure or
balai banjar (traditional meeting hall of
the Balinese); they are very rarely occupied
with reading a newspaper, magazine or book.
They prefer to have a seat silently or chatting
enthusiastically.
They assume the activity of reading as something
‘luxurious’ and it’s only
reasonable if it is undertaken by academic
circles and the rich. To be able to read
the printed media, they should purchase
a single copy or by subscription at moderately
high price. Perception and low purchasing
power of the community indirectly have an
impact on the level of growth and development
of the printed media in Bali that has not
been pleasurable.
It is different from the electronic media
that grew rapidly since the 1990s while
obtaining high appreciation from the community.
Appreciation of the Balinese towards the
electronic media is appropriately satisfying.
This is indicated by the fact of the interest
by people to watch television and listen
to the radio progressively increases.
Just about every single home in Bali has
a television and radio set, either at urban
or fur—flung rural areas. Their day-to-day
life is inseparable from watching television
and listening to radio at the same time
constituting free and affordable entertainment.
To listen to the radio or watch television,
they do not need to pay any charges. They
just need to pay one expense, namely the
purchasing of the television or radio set.
A couple of years ago the government tried
to collect some kind of tax for radio and
television broadcast, however, many people
refused to pay the tax so it was not resumed
at the end.
Going
Bankrupt before Blooming
During the New Order period (up to 1997),
establishing a mass media company in Indonesia
was extremely difficult as the existence
of mass media was tightly controlled by
the authorities. To obtain the license of
Press Publishing Enterprise for instance,
should meet the requirement of a large amount
of capital. Additionally, it needs a special
closeness to the authority holder to make
the business flourish well.
As a consequence, it was only businesspeople,
that had close relationships to the authorities,
that were capable of setting up a mass media
company. That’s why mass media were
easily controlled and overseen. Even, the
government through its Department of Information
was glad to provide regular financial assistance
to press publishing. At that time, every
press publishing company was obliged to
make special publications for the consumption
of the rural community. From here, it then
published the Newspaper of Rural Edition
that was financed by the government to distribute
the information on the development program
promoted by the government. Such a rural
edition was remarkably effective to improve
the reading interest of the rural community
as the content of the newspaper was advantageous
for the increase of rural economic activities.
The situation of the mass media totally
changed after the fall of New Order administration
in 1998. The reigning government in the
era of reformation delivered freedom to
the appearance of new mass media, either
electronic or printed. The Department of
Information in charge to control the press
publishing was dismissed, so the press grew
and developed without any control of the
government.
The globalization era, marked with the more
sophisticated information technology, greatly
influenced the development of mass media
in Bali. This freedom drove the Balinese
community to get information easily from
several media’s, either that of beyond
Bali or overseas turning easier to access.
Many small printed media grew and competed
with the established mass media.
Free competition of the mass media today
is overly tight. A company with small capital
now gets unfortunate, even some of them
have gone bankrupt. Other that being unable
to compete for grabbing the market segment
of advertising, they also lack of financial
capital and the restricted professional
human resources in the mass media business.
The lethargic economic condition of Bali
after the occurrence of bomb tragedies (2002
and 2005) had an impact on the mass media
business in Bali. It was caused by the fact
that market segment for advertising that
made the publishing house alive in Bali
was the circle of tourism businesspeople
and community of which business predominantly
depend on the dynamic of tourism. At the
end, they went to bankruptcy before blooming.
Reading
Lontar
Prior to knowing the printed or electronic
media, the Balinese in ancient times had
the habit of reading lontar. The capability
of writing on lontar leaf began in the period
of Ancient Bali comprising the period of
10th to 14 AD.
Information was distributed through writing
made on lontar leaf by Balinese characters.
Not all people could read the lontar as
it needs special requirements, like performing
mawinten or initiation rite, the purification
of material and spiritual aspect, after
that people are ready to get the information,
including the information from the spiritual
world and inner spiritual power carried
within the lontar.
Within this rite, tongue of the concerned
people is inscribed with the sacred character
Om Kara/Ongkara by means of pure honey as
a symbol that they have been pure materially
and spiritually and well prepared to receive
the holy teaching endowed by God. Furthermore,
the master or leader of the ritual installs
the man in order he or she would not misuse
the information obtained within the lontar
manuscript. Every lontar also carries advice
so that the users would not misuse the knowledge
that has been read.
Newspaper
and Magazine in Balinese Character
Ancestors of the Balinese during the prehistoric
or megalithic period for instance, wrote
and drew on the surface of stone. Later,
in the bronze period, they wrote on the
pieces of bronze and copper that is now
known as prasasti or inscription retained
in the museum or particular temples.
During the historic period, they wrote on
lontar leaf. In the meantime, they do not
want to be left behind in following the
development of civilization and advancement
of science and technology. Finally, they
wrote on paper as well as had the capability
to use the sophisticated technology in the
form of computer to write Balinese characters.
A Balinese man succeeded to engineer the
Balinese font called Bali Simbar to make
it easier for them in writing Balinese characters
on the computer. However, it was a pity
that up to this time there has been no printed
media utilizing Balinese characters, like
in Japan, there is a newspaper with typically
Japanese characters or in China with its
own typically Chinese.
There has not been any information if there
are businesspeople interested in press publishing
utilizing Balinese characters. Should you
intend to establish printed mass media with
using Balinese characters, its opportunity
remains to be wide open. You will become
a pioneer in maintaining the identity of
Bali within this global era. It needs to
get support from the entire components of
Balinese community as its purpose is remarkably
sublime, namely maintaining the Balinese
identity. Our expectation is that particularly
the Balinese people could improve their
prestige if they read a newspaper written
in Balinese characters while being accompanied
by a cup of coffee. Let’s wait the
Balinese who are willing to read the newspaper
and magazine in Balinese characters.(Ketut
Sumadi)
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