As soon as Indonesia is like Europe, I move. If
it becomes, “Life is a big competition, you have to be number one,” I move.
Alain van den Bossche, a gregarious Belgian, owns one of
Jepara’s newest resorts, a 16-villa resort named Coconut Lodge steps away from Coconut Beach. Interestingly, his name contains the term ‘bos,” meaning “wood” in Dutch. Impressed with the construction—much of it with local wood—and
details of his resort, I had the opportunity to talk with Alain, who speaks
Indonesian, French, English, and some Flemish.
Q: This is one of the best-designed hotels I’ve seen. You’re
also in the furniture business, a common profession in Jepara because of its well-regarded
woodworking reputation, but how did you learn design? Almost all the details
are perfect here. For example, the straw I’m using is bamboo, not paper (which
interferes with taste) or metal (which rusts). The song playlist features
beautiful Spanish songs I’ve never heard before, like Alma Corazón y Vida by
Los Panchos and Azúcar Amargo by Fey.
Alain: I do it myself, by traveling, by seeing different
countries, combining everything, mixing it all together, [and] trying to make something
look the way I want. I want to make this place feel like home. It’s not
important to make something big. Most places [in Indonesia] are more like a
market. They call it in Indonesia, the “target,” [but] I don’t really care
about [business] targets. Number 1, be happy, enjoy, and if you make a little
bit of money, it’s good. I’m already 51 [years old], the train is already
passing. If I want to be a millionaire, it’s too late.
Q: You had mentioned construction to me. Were you a
subcontractor or foreman in Belgium?
A: I wanted to be an actor, but I was a teacher for mentally
disabled people like [you see] in the Special Olympics. I re-made a very old
home [using my time] every weekend and on my holidays, but I left Europe without
sleeping a single night in the house. I was supposed to get married, but my
father had just passed away. She [my ex-fiancée] didn’t want to wait a few
months. [Instead of re-scheduling,] She canceled the wedding a month before… she
was Italian. [Alain throws his hands in the air to communicate he should have
known the result.]
I took my rucksack, put my house on the market, told the
agent just to get me my costs back—it actually sold much higher than I expected
but I let him keep the difference--and I was free. I spent a year traveling,
went to Bali, where I made friends with an English guy who advised me to go
into the furniture business. By then, I had not much money left, and although I
had a ticket to Australia, I threw the ticket away, stayed in Bali, and went into
furniture import-export. [Back then,] I used to sell on the flea market, too. I
would go to Europe once a month, pick up quality items [from the trash], refurbish,
and sell. I opened a shop in Belgium doing import/export, then I came back to
Jepara, made my first small company with my then-girlfriend. We rented a small
place for three years. It was really tough that time. That was 24 years ago.
Q: 24 years?
A: Yes, 24 years ago.
Q: You mentioned the [property] foundation to me earlier.
Can you tell me more about your strategy in achieving stability while being so
close to the beach?
A: River stones are the best for foundation. Take stones
from the river, put them all the way around the property, fill it up with dirt,
use a leveling system [Alain draws a three-pronged tool in the air resembling a
self-leveling tool] every 4 meters, [and you] gotta do your pillars all the way
around the full space.
Q: Why did you choose this location? It’s a bit isolated and
far from the town centre.
A: This is my fourth [constructed] property in Jepara. I like
the social life, [but] I also like my privacy, privacy here is like having gold.
If you have a house in the village, someone will knock on your door all the
time [to make social visits]. In Europe, [if you want to be alone] you go to
the back portion of your home, but here, four guests will come [to say hello],
and when they leave, another four [neighbors] come. The reason [I chose this
location] is [for the] quiet. You have rice fields and the ocean.
[Indonesian businesses] like to be near the road… the beach
idea is only the last 10 years. Before, [Indonesians] wanted to go to the
mountains. They didn’t want to get sunburned, they enjoyed the cooler weather,
but tendencies are changing. [Local] Movie stars are getting tanned and
influencing others to enjoy the beach. [And] Indonesia is booming completely.
Middle class is exploding. 20 years ago, the only thing you saw were foreigners
or government or criminals but now you see young entrepreneurs. 20 years ago,
it was just business hotels. But you look on Instagram now, they [young
Indonesians and Europeans] go everywhere [and as a result, businesses are
diversifying].
We have a saying in Belgium: “Belgian people have a brick in
their stomach.” [Editor’s note: the exact phrase in English is, “Every Belgian
is born with a brick in the stomach.” It means every Belgian wants to build
their own house.] In Europe [today], no one [young] wants to take [mortgage] credit
for 20, 25 years [anymore]. They want to travel. [In my case,] I met the right
person at the right moment, it’s all luck. I always say, “I’m the luckiest guy
on the planet.” If I could, I’d give some of my luck to other people.
Q: How do you motivate your employees?
A: I try by explaining to them [how things should be, instead of giving
orders.] I also give them attractive salary, about 50% above minimum salary. Here,
minimum wage is about 1.8 million [rupiahs] monthly. I give them 2.5 million
[rupiahs], [and] I would like to give them more. I tell them, if you can take
the stress off my shoulder, then I’ll pay more. I want to sell this place and
build another one with no debt.
Q: Did you get a euro-denominated loan or one from a local
bank?
A: We got a local loan, [equivalent to] 100,000 euros loan in rupiahs. I owe
about 1,000 USD a month for 20 years. I think it’s about 10% [annual] interest.
You know, foreigners cannot buy property here, they can only buy through a
local [Indonesian citizen] or a company. I already have a furniture company but
I don’t want to mix it [so I have an arrangement with a local]. I live all the
way in the back on this property. [10% interest sounds high] But here, savings
deposits pay out 7% net [interest] in your pocket. If you bargain, you might
even get 8%. [For me] it’s all about the rupiahs because I live in rupiahs. I
sell in euros, but I live in rupiahs [so currency fluctuations don’t impact me
as much].
Q: What was the banking experience like?
A: [Because it’s through a local] They base the loan on the manager’s
salary, not on the project. They are thinking that the loan amount should be
based on money the manager will receive each month. If it’s through a company, it’s
different. [Since we didn’t go through a company] We opened as a homestay, [and
the local] used a personal tax number to pay the tax.
[When I first came here 24 years ago,] you needed 200,000
euros in the bank or something like that to get a loan. So what the banks did,
they would loan you the 200,000 for a day or a week, get a notary to certify
the amount [in your account], and collect a 500 USD fee for the “service.” Now,
of course, it’s stricter. [President] Jokowi is very good for people who want
to invest. Compared to the old days, you can do a lot online now because of
Jokowi, and you can even get your visa online. 24 years ago, it was the “Wild West”
here. At that time, it was, “Give a little [money] on the left side and the right
side [to get things done],” but that time is over.
Q: Most Westerners don’t know much about Indonesia. What
made you choose this country over others in the entire world, including your
native Belgium?
A: I fell in love. When I arrived in Medan [Sumatera], I
fell in love. In Europe, people only complain. I like to talk, I like to have a
lot of friends. I know people everywhere, rich, poor. You can mix here with all
types of people.
Q: What have been the challenges for you, as an outsider,
opening a business in Jepara? Has it been easier or harder being in a small
town rather than big city like Jakarta or Semarang?
A: I arrived here as a backpacker. I don’t have the mentality of a businessman.
I know other people who have the fiber of business in them, but they’re
struggling. This is really funny in life. The more you run after it, the more
difficult it is to achieve it. It [the better path] is actually, “Take it easy,
don’t have too much big plan, [then] everything goes smoothly.” I’ve been lucky
to meet the right people and to be in the right spots, but it hasn’t always
been smooth. In the beginning, some locals were angry I was paying higher salaries.
I had people coming after me with tire irons. Some people are still angry foreigners
are paying better salaries because foreigners are able to sell in Europe and
get higher prices. I think they should be happy [about the higher salaries] but
it’s not that way.
Q: How did you get your contacts in shipping and
import/export?
A: I was a real tourist—I didn’t even know about emails. My
French friend told me about import/export in a bar in Bali. It’s really easy. You
need an agent. The agent does everything for you. Most of my customers are in
Belgium, including my brother [so I already have contacts in Belgium]. I’ve
changed agents a few times [but the key is to find a good import/export agent].
Q: What advice can you give to Westerners who want to fit
into Indonesian society?
A: First, don’t try
to make the people [here] understand your way of things. Try to find a middle
way. You have to make the effort. You have to adapt, and locals have to adapt.
Don’t expect people to adapt 100%. You will learn a lot, and they will learn
your personal professional standards. They have a saying here: “Alon alon asal
klakon.” It means, “Going slow is not a problem--you will still get there.” A
bit like the old [Aesop] story of the rabbit and the tortoise. In Europe, they
teach kids they have to have a lot of ambition, they have to be perfect. But in
Indonesia, people seem to ask themselves, “What do you really want in life?” What
is more important than having friends and being able to sit and have a coffee? But
this [attitude] will change because of us [Westerners] bringing our culture
here. But I’ve always said, as soon as Indonesia is like Europe, I move. If it
becomes, “Life is a big competition, you have to be number one,” I move
[someplace else].
Q: At the same time, you’re obviously competitive, and you
have a strong desire to compete well. Where does that come from? Did you play
professional or semi-professional sports?
A: I play sports and I love sports. I play futsal and football/soccer. Indonesians
would tell me, “It is more important to sweat than to win,” but I told them, “The
most important [goal] is to win.” They’d respond, “We sweat, that’s good
already.” My workers, now they play, they go 1,000%, I like that. Age makes you
change. Before I was like a piece of fire. But now… this place, I want to make
sure everyone happy. It’s “ramah” [strictly translated, it means
“friendliness”], it’s the reason everyone likes Indonesia, because of the
politeness. If they lose that, it’s like losing the thing that makes you
different. I want to see that ramah thing here [at the resort.]
Q: What do you think of President Joko Widodo's idea to move the capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan?
A: I would have a better idea. Jakarta is so crowded [and
that’s the reason for the move]. Right away, I would fix a minimum salary for all
of Indonesia. Big cities give a higher [minimum] salary than villages. That’s
why you have so much movement, where people go to Jakarta to find opportunities.
We have a lot of broken homes because of that, because of men leaving their
hometowns to work in Jakarta. Reduce Jakarta salary [to bring it in line with
an appropriate national minimum wage], shift workers to Semarang [and other
cities], and people would say, “Why should I go to Jakarta?” Then migration to
other cities would increase [thereby reducing pressure on Jakarta’s infrastructure].
He [President Jokowi] wants to move [the capital] because it’s too crowded in
Jakarta, so it’s difficult to find water resources [and other problems arise
because of overpopulation in one place]. Life in Jakarta is expensive, but of
course it’s because salaries are expensive. But if you change from 5 million [rupiah]
to 2.5 million a month…
[Interview held on August 29, 2019 in Jepara at Coconut Lodge. Transcript above has been condensed/modified from original conversation. No compensation, directly or indirectly, was received or due for this interview as of August 2019.]
Update/Correction on September 2, 2019: Alain informed me today he was the one who broke off the wedding: [paraphrased] "She did not want to move the date [after my father's death], and she demanded I move forward or cancel. She did not expect I would choose to cancel when she gave me the ultimatum."
