history of lombok
In the early years, Lombok was made up of dozens of tiny clans who were each ruled by their own Sasak “prince”. There was constant competition and feuding between the various clans and states, which the neighbouring Balinese princes used to their advantage when they eventually conquered the island. The Balinese took control of western Lombok in the early 17th century whilst the Makassarese, from Sulawesi, invaded eastern Lombok
The Balinese ruled Lombok from the middle of the 1700s until the 1890s, when the Dutch intervened, taking control of the island. After a series of bloody fights, the Balinese were driven out and Lombok became part of the group of islands now known as the Lesser Sunda Islands
Under the Dutch, hefty taxes were imposed which pushed many Lombok peasants into poverty, making way for Chinese businessman to exploit the economic vacuum. Things continued on in a repressive manner until Indonesia eventually declared its independence in 1945, with Sukarno as the first president of the country. He tried to regroup Lombok into a larger cluster of islands known as Nusatenggara, but the island proved hard to govern
After the ousting of Sukarno in 1965, Lombok entered a dark period of oppression alongst many other islands of Indonesia. It was only after the new president Suharto implemented his harsh “New Order” plan that the island attained growth and stability. By 1973, a prolonged famine reached its peak, resulting in the locals moving from the island as part of a transmigration programme
The country began to prosper in the 1980s when tourism began to take off after outside investors and speculators came in to develop the island. Despite the financial crisis of 2007 and the political turmoil that followed, Lombok still attracted a steady stream of travellers, and the island soon emerged as a relaxed, more authentic alternative to its more-developed neighbour