Last month, I exposed a “Free Speech Summit” held in Queensland, Australia, whose speaker list read like a who’s-who of antisemitic scum and villainy. The organizer of the summit was one Jamie McIntyre, an antisemitic businessman who took the opportunity to try and flog one of his latest “investment opportunities”: Marina Bay in Bali.
It turns out that McIntyre and his project are pissing off the locals.
The $6 billion development near the surf hub of Kuta is Bingin, on steroids, designed by Lex Luthor.
In a case of too little too late, the surfing world has been collectively gasping at social media reports on the demolition of accommodation and businesses at Bali’s Bingin Beach. SURFER covered it a few weeks ago, amid rumors that the 45 businesses, many that have existed for generations with tacit, if not legal, approval on the government-owned land, would be razed to the ground to make way for a Beach Club.
—
And yet, less than 100 miles as the crow flies over the Lombok Straight, near south Lombok’s surf hub of Kuta, there are development plans in place that make the Bingin, the Bukit Peninsula, and Bali look like a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site.
In the beautiful horseshoe bay of Tanjung Ann, with its white sand and user-friendly reef breaks, construction started on July 12 at Marine Park City. You can choose between two equally blood-chilling phrases the Australian developers Jamie McIntyre and Adrian Campbell used to describe the project. It’s either “a $6 billion smart city where Dubai meets Bali,” or “The Miami of Asia”.
If you’ve ever surfed the consistent lefthander Main Break Kuta Bay, sampled the variety of quality waves in the beautiful Gerupuk Bay or snorkelled the crystal clear waters of Tanjung Ann itself, the idea of building Miami here is truly Lex Luthor levels of diabolical madness. The promo vid does a good job of showcasing the area’s natural beauty. It also inadvertently does a better job of showing what will be destroyed.
—
“The government plans to demolish local businesses to make way for luxury 5-star hotels. This will not only erase our economy, but it will also strip away our identity and cultural heritage, turning Tanjung Ann into yet another generic tourist hotspot,” said local resident and activist Kartini Raja. She has set up a petition to register the residents’ concerns.
Many of these businesses include locally run surf schools, restaurants, and family-owned stalls. It’s hard to see a scenario where these businesses will be able to afford or compete within the new developments.
“This means local voices will be shut out, and only large commercial operators will survive. Right now, our community can support itself,” continued Raja. “If these plans move forward, families will face financial devastation, with no way to recover. We need to help to ensure that Tanjung Ann’s beauty, culture, and community can continue to thrive—for both locals and visitors alike.”
It’s a similar, and compelling, argument that has been drowned out by the sledgehammers at Bingin. Yet the sheer scale of this proposal, and the government backing, means it seems inevitable that a similar fate soon awaits the local businesses.
Others don’t see this project so much of a threat as it is a scam:
I have no idea whether or not Jamie McIntyre is a conman, but he sure as hell is a nasty piece of work:
No doubt he would blame the Jews if this “investment opportunity” doesn’t get off the ground.
