THK Application at Hotel (1)

Valuing a Normative Obligation

Two major questions appeared on the surface accompanying the title of an article The Application of Tri Hita Karana at the Hotel; which is first, how far has the THK concept been applied into the hotel’s management in Bali recently? And the second, what is the obstacle facing hotel management of Bali within the application of THK concept?
The answer of these questions is expected able to enrich management knowledge, which relates with local managerial values by Hindu’s society in Bali. And also generally as the input for hotel’s management in their efforts to avoid such internal and external conflict (conflict with hotel surrounding society), which often appeals to surface as the cause of weak-consideration on the THK concept. For sure, possibilities are wide-open to attach contribution for Bali’s development, which is determined THK as the philosophy basic of Perda (District Regulation) No. 3/1991; No. 4 year 1996; No16 year 2002.
Depart from those three regulations, actually, the hotel organizer along with entire tourism entrepreneurs in Bali should normatively obligate the application concept of tri hita karana (THK) within daily life and in organizing their business. The same obligation is also for tightening the public appliance holder and the other Balinese societies. Because, THK is a culture system of local societies that are been firmed as the philosophy anvil of tourism development; space arrangement; and development strategic planning, as it poured on District Regulation No. 3/1991; No. 4/1996; and No. 16/2002.
District Regulation No.3/1991 (the perfecting of District Regulation No. 3 /1971) about Cultural Tourism sticks out the THK concept on section 2. Perda No. 4/1996 about the Rencana Tata Ruang Wilayah Propinsi (Provincial Space Arrangement Planning) inserting the THK concept on section 1, 2, 5, and 11. Meanwhile, the Perda No. 16/2002 about the Strategic Planning of Bali Development 2002-2005 is inserting the THK concept on chapter III;Vision and Mission of Bali’s Development, which is aimed to accelerate the harmony and balance between economic importance, culture preservation, and environment throughout the holistic approach, sector across, and participation.
To realize those ideal aims, THK is placing the highest religious values, as well as spiriting the entire relationship between human and God the Almighty, among human, between human and nature. This three relations were famous in Balinese terms as parhyangan; pawongan; palemahan, which is according to the cultural system can be analogized with the sub-system of mind pattern /concept/value; social; and the artificial/material (Koentjaraningrat, 1993, and Windia, 2002).
Reaching for goal with the conception base of THK always puts togetherness, harmony, and balance of nature in front, seemingly stay in one line with integrative-holistic development approach as it offered by Dr. Sony Keraf (2002). Not just reducing the material-economic aspect, but to keep watching the dimension of living environment and social-cultural, aesthetic and spiritual. It is contrast with the construction that is only chasing development, productivity, and efficientness. Besides it is disposed of intolerance and disharmony for the environment, it is also able to create a mentality to control nature.
This mentality carries a high risk, because it often produce an explorative attitude which is destructive to natures resources. For that it unconditionally needs to equalize with harmony and nature-balance mentality, because, this mentality does not directly impede economic improvement, its only causes economic growth to become slower because it is using more variables to produce certain output.
If a flashback to Strategic Planning of Bali’s Development 2000-2005, properly, Bali will escape a serious physic and non-physic problems. This has caused the Strategic Planning of Bali’s Development to be clearly lined with the destination in accelerating harmony and stability between economic importance, culture preservation, and living environment through holistic, sector across, and participation approach.
The reality is that Bali today should be very concerned. Fertile land and agriculture are converted become a villas, hotels, etc. Forest was damaged, ravine and steep areas turned into concrete buildings. Seawater is dirty, and air pollution is worrying. Floods everywhere in the rainy season, and long-drys in the summer.
Beside that, social-cultural conflict is getting ‘familiar’ within the society. It is not rare that sometimes a conflict takes place internally among hotels, whether its between management and employees or between management/employee with the hotel owner. That conflict sometimes sneaks outside, which entrust the hotel organizer (employee, management, and owner) with surround society. These entire things are contradictory within THK principles. Depart from this reality and it is expected that hotel organizers (employee, management, and owners) should put the sense of THK application as a normative obligation.

(BTN/Berata Ashrama)