Balibs.org’s mission is to fill the void of published truth, comment and analysis regarding the problems experienced by some, perhaps many visitors to and residents of Bali. We believe this void comes from;
a) A proliferation of sales orientated web sites for Bali which, of course, say that Bali is a safe paradise, irrespective of the truth. This large number of often same content by the same owner sales motivated web sites has been allowed to drown out informational sites on the Internet.
b) The false claims put out by other sales motivated Bali ezine services.

We are here to report what the foreign governments feel they can not about the perils of visiting / staying in Bali / Indonesia. We believe governments do not provide comprehensive travel advisories because they have a political game to play with the Indonesian Government, who clearly want tourists and investors to come to Indonesia. We believe foreign governments fail to warn potential travelers to and investors in Indonesia of the true extent of the problems of that country, as this would cause them problems with the Indonesian Government, in particular regarding the large public sector contract awards, such as mining, the armed forces, hydro-electric projects, petroleum and mining. We believe foreign governments do not warn the small business people and tourists of things such as corruption in order to ensure their large corporations pick up lucrative public sector bids which are protected against corruption by government contract. Consequently, the small business person and traveler to Indonesia may get somewhat cheated by their own government. So we try to fill that void, that absence of information and warnings.

Balibs.org’s mission is to point out the facts to members of the media, traveling community (tourists), hospitality industry (hotel and villa owners / operators), government offices (both Indonesian and International), conference providers, potential investors, etc. in a constructive and honest way aimed to change the way some aspects of Bali makes it work against itself (e.g. corrupt police) and to the detriment of everyone on the island, residents and visitors alike. We do this in the belief that those who work in ways against the interests of the island will be embarrassed into changing the system by naming and shaming them, or that the people they afflict will do what they need to change things. We also try to make sure potential unwitting victims of corruption, violence, crime, etc. will be better informed to avoid these events.

Balibs.org will publish articles involving reports, analysis and documented facts which we will do everything we can to ensure conforms to the law regarding defamation and freedom of speech. We will transmit regular ezines (email newsletter advisories with links to the latest new stories published on our web site) to subscribers. By publishing what we do outside Indonesia, on web servers located in the USA (protected by the right to Freedom of Speech), in the English language, and by making our ezine (newsletter email) service subscription based. We provide the Indonesian Authorities, in particular the Balinese police, with absolutely no lawful and / or International precedent to claim jurisdiction over what we publish.

If and when any aspect of the way Bali operates changes for the better, we will gladly acknowledge this and update or even remove an article. If and when our objectives for a truly better Bali (for the foreign traveler and investor) are met, we will cease to operate this site and remove it from the Internet.

Our objectives for Bali are;
1) For the Balinese police force to become a true police force which operates solely for the sake of people on the island. This likely means the creation of an effective police complaints body such as are found in other countries, where corrupt police officers are punished as they should be.
2) For the practice of the police appointing vigilantes to do the work of police officers in villages stopped, and to see the police evolve from an unprofessional and ineffectual organization to a professional and respectable police force for the betterment of inhabitants of and visitors to the island.
3) To see the clear rife corruption within the judiciary end. To see corrupt judges and prosecutors jailed for their crimes. To see the courts appoint juries, rather then allow judges to decide on matters of innocence or guilt. To allow video / news cameras into all court sessions, to ensure all cases against foreigners are dealt with properly, fairly and legally. To allow foreign lawyers to practice law in Balinese courts, especially criminal courts, to hopefully help see an end to the acknowledged problem of defense lawyers colluding with judges and prosecutors against their foreign client’s best interests.
4) To appoint a legal body to interpret what is fair in the many areas of ambiguity of Indonesian law, to prevent judges deciding on extreme interpretations against foreigners.
5) To require any and all police complaints (against foreigners) to be made at a police complaints desk, not ever to senior police officers directly.
6) To see an end to corruption against foreigners by other public servants / government workers such as building permit officers, customs officers, immigration officials, etc.
7) To see an end to tax abuse by businesses using the “twin book” system on the island, which directly impacts legitimate foreign owned businesses.
8) To see an end to service charge abuse by businesses where hotel staff, who are meant to receive this, are cheated to one degree or another (where their fair share of the service charges paid by guests, etc. goes instead into company profits and / or directors’ pockets). As this cheats foreign tourists into believing 11% of what they pay goes to the staff, when it too often does not.
9) To ensure illegal dumping and other serious health risks are dealt with and not ignored. As such matters create an unacceptable risk to visiting foreigners who stay nearby yet are unaware if what is happening on their hotel doorstep.
10) To set up an independent commission to decide what if anything needs to be done to compensate individual Balinese for things such as compulsory land purchases (where people’s land was bought under government decree at low prices, and then used to earn corporations and the government huge profits), to review and provide a solution for land snatch cases (where other people, often from other islands, simply start building on other people’s land and claim it as their own), to review and find a solution for all violations of Bali’s building codes (for example, where a hotel was allowed to build to too close to a temple). And to publish the results and agreements in English so that foreign tourists can make informed decisions if they wish to avoid irresponsible businesses / and / or hotels that may have acquired their land unfairly.
11) To have the local government publicly publish an independently audited report on the amount they collect in taxes and where it all goes. So foreign investors and tourists can see the money collected off them goes where it should.
12) To require all government workers to disclose, under amnesty, every previous bribe or other corruption money they have ever received and what, and to publicly publish this information. So that former serious breaches of justice can be seen and resolved. So that future foreign visitors and investors can be assured as to the safety of dealing with the police, etc.
13) For there to be a public information office providing details of the owners, directors, share holders, etc. of every business in Bali, including the names of directors, share holders, owners, etc. of any parent or shareholding company. So that visitors to Bali can make informed decisions about avoiding hotels owned by certain people, such as the Suharto family for example, who they may deem to have a bad reputation and anti-Balinese mandate, so as to avoid those businesses if they so chose.
14) To make immigration matters the sole responsibility of the Indonesian / Balinese immigration service, not to allow the Balinese police any part other than to accompany immigration officers if required by them. As it is clear corrupt police abuse their ability to question foreigners over immigration matters.
15) To hold a public review of the existing visa system for tourists to investors to migrant workers alike, to prevent ambiguity and unfair abuses of the system by either side (the authorities and visitors).
16) To see the police vigorously uphold the law on such matters as child abuse, arranged marriages, prostitution, street drug sellers, violations of building codes etc. which affect Balinese cultural and religious sites to the detriment of all.
17) To have the much abused code for criminal libel removed.

We believe only once all these objectives are met will Bali be able to become the paradise it claims to be.