About koki, supir and tukang kebun

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At first sight the title above seems to be written in Gibberish. That is, for people living outside of Indonesia and Malaysia. The only thing I did was use some words in ‘Bahasa Indonesia’, the standard language of Indonesia.

Because of the Dutch colonization, many Dutch words were readily taken into the Indonesian language.

The title has two of them: ‘koki’ is derived from the Dutch word ‘kok’ which means ‘cook’ and a ‘supir’ is a chauffeur.

In Indonesia it is not exceptional to employ house staff. It is not at all a privilege of the elite. Nevertheless it takes some time to get used to the idea. When you are confronted with this aspect of life for the first time, you have of a guilty feeling. Anyway, I had. I constantly said to myself : “ This is the 21st century man, not the time of colonization! You are not one of those stately gentlemen in white linen suits and tropical helmets having a gin and tonic on the porch with servants, subserviently looking from a distance”.

Although our guesthouse will be small, we will be expected to hire staff. Well educated collaborators but also people from the village for jobs as gardener or security guard. A rule of thumb to determine the number of people you need is 1.6 employees per room. In our case that will be 6 to 7 people.

By hiring people you create a little purchasing power and get involved in the local community of which you became a part. Of course you have to make choices. We heard the story of someone that wanted to have a swimming pool in his garden. To dig the pool he had two choices. He either could hire a bobcat that would do the trick in a day or two, or het could hire 15 unqualified workers that would need 14 days to finish the job. In the former case you chose fastness of execution, in the latter case you provide an income to 15 families, however low it may seem according to Western standards. A modest contribution maybe but nonetheless worth considering.

Another thing you are expected to do is deposit a small amount of money in the local bank of the Banjar where you live. This bank gives small loans to members of the Banjar. When you move and leave the Banjar, you get your money back. It is a kind of microcredit that seems to have a long history in Bali. You also have to pay an annual contribution to the Banjar. It is a way of expressing that you want to be part of it. In exchange, the Banjar will regulate traffic and provide security when you have a party for example. The local, historical government structures have a lot of power and the central government has to take this into account. Nothing will be done without consulting the traditional power structures.

Bali is, in many ways, an outsider in Indonesia. Not only because of the special style of government and execution of power, but also, for example, because 93%!o(MISSING)f the population is Hindu in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. You also have a cast system which is respected until today. Every house has its house temple and wherever you go, you will see small, braided baskets with offerings of rice, fruit, incense sticks, flowers etc. You have to take into account that your collaborators will be frequently absent to attend religious ceremonies. The cremation of two members of the royal family in July 2008 f.e. grinded the public life in Ubud to a halt and got worldwide attention.

dirk weemaes
Villa Sabandari- boutique hotel, Ubud-Bali

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