Regent urged to protect sacred area from development

Irawaty Wardany , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Wed, 05/07/2008 9:41 AM | Bali

The Bali legislative council and the Bali chapter of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia have urged the Badung regent to take a strong stance against the development of new villas in the area surrounding the sacred Uluwatu temple in Jimbaran.

The legislators and members of the religious body said the development violated the 2005 regional regulation on zoning and regional development plans.

The regulation stipulates the development and construction of buildings that have no religious function are not allowed in the vicinity of a major temple.

The area, which stretches 5 kilometers around the temple, is considered sacred.

Perched on top of a steep cliff, Uluwatu temple is one of the most iconic places in Bali. It is revered by Balinese Hindus as one of the most important places of worship because it is believed to be where influential sage Danghyang Nirartha achieved Moksha, the ultimate state of enlightenment.

Nirartha was the ancestor of Balinese Hinduism's powerful high priest clan of Brahmana Siwa.

There are currently many development projects for new villas in the Bukit area in Jimbaran, including in the sacred area around Uluwatu shrine. This condition has triggered a public uproar with some of Bali's noted intellectuals declaring the constructions illegal.

But some locals and developers argue the constructions are legal because the developers acquired the necessary licenses from the Badung regent.

"I will check that myself in the next couple of days," a member of the Bali legislative council Si Ketut Mandira Natha told reporters after meeting with members of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia in Denpasar on Monday.

He said he had been informed by officials from Badung administration that most of the licenses were issued by the previous regent, not by the current regent, A.A. Gde Agung.

"If it is true then we will ask him (Gde Agung) to take strict measures against the violation," he said.

"If necessary we will ask him to withdraw all the development licenses to preserve Taksu (spiritual vibration) Bali," he said.

He said if the regent refused to do so, then the council would call him for questioning.

"If the regent fails to solve the matter immediately, then I am afraid this case will create a domino effect. This will encourage all regents and mayors to turn a blind eye to this kind of development," he said.

Head of Parisada Hindu Dharma Bali, I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, said it was agreed in the meeting to send an official letter to the Badung regent to remind him to take action.

"First we will ask for data about the condition of the area and the legal status of the villas there," he said.

He said secondly they would ask what position the Badung regent and legislative council would take on the issue.

"We just want to see their response and actions for protecting the shrine's holiness," he said, adding they also wanted to know if the Badung regent had developed a solution for this issue.

Thirdly, he said, they would ask the regent to work with the provincial administration to draw up a comprehensive policy on protecting the temple's sacred areas.

"If he fails to do so, we will summon the Badung regent to ask him about his commitment to protecting the interests of Hindu devotees. If we find out later he ignored the public interest, then we will ask the executives to take a good look at themselves," he said.

He said they had all agreed that all people, from members of executive and legislative councils to the general public, should seek to protect the shrine's holy area.

"We also expect the councilors to be more active in expressing the interests of Hindu devotees," he said.

He said it was time for the Balinese leaders to stick to the principles of Ajeg Bali (preservation of Balinese tradition, culture and religion).

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