Traditional Communes Across Bali Rejects Benoa Bay Reclamation

TEMPO.CO, Denpasar - Tens of thousands of residents from all across the Province of Bali held a long march to reject the reclamation project of Benoa Bay on Sunday, May 29, 2016. The masses walked from Niti Mandala Field in Renon, Denpasar, towards the roundabout that marks the centre of Pakraman village in Renon.

In addition to the long march, a declaration was signed by residents of Pakraman to reject the reclamation of Benoa Bay - rounding up the tally to 36 traditional communes, which has firmly rejected the controversial project.

A coordinator of Balinese Against Reclamation Forum (ForBALI), I Wayan 'Gendo' Suardana, said in his oration that the movement to reject the reclamation of Benoa Bay - which has grown significantly in the past four years - will continue to increase in size. "We have no choice but to go forward," he said.

"We will strive to hold a rally every week, and in these next few weeks, the traditional communes of Kesiman and Pedungan will soon declare their stance against the reclamation project," said Gendo.

"Today, we managed to take ahold of the streets - and one of these days, we will take over the [Bali] Governor's Office, and the Regional Representative Council (DPRD), as a sign of our protest, for their inability to respect the demands of their electorate," continued Gendo.

Gendo further explained that if Bali Governor, Made Mangku Pastika really does care about the aspirations of his people, he should have stopped the project, which is the brainchild of PT Tirta Wahana Bali Internasional (TWBI) - a construction company owned by business tycoon, Tomy Winata. "This war against the Reclamation of Benoa Bay is a reflection of our never-ending effort to guard the sanctity of Benoa Bay," he said.

"We will do whatever we can - and we don't care what the risks are," continued Gendo. "That said, we will always put peace and order as a priority."

BRAM SETIAWAN