As many as 1,000 temple priests and ten high priests participated in a joint prayer Wednesday afternoon at the Bajra Sandhi monument in Renon, Denpasar
s many as 1,000 temple priests and ten high priests participated in a joint prayer Wednesday afternoon at the Bajra Sandhi monument in Renon, Denpasar.
Organized by Bali Shanti Community, the religious event was designed to show strong public support for Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, who is to start his second term Thursday.
In recent weeks, the retired three-star police general, who won a deeply emotional election last May with a slight margin of 996 votes, had been under constant attack by environmentalists and tourism leaders who were not happy with his decision to support the massive reclamation of Benoa Bay.
The attack fuelled a long campaign of hostility mounted by Bali Post, the island's largest newspaper, which is still locked in a court battle over a libel suit filed by Pastika. The daily and its subsidiaries openly supported Pastika's contenders in the election and refused to provide any space for Pastika's campaign.
'We want to show our support for Governor Pastika, who in his first tenure accomplished many positive things for the people through his Bali Mandara program,' Bali Shanti Community spokesperson Nyoman Bhaskara said.
Bali Mandara covers several high-profile poverty alleviation programs, including free healthcare services for all residents, house renovation for low-income households, scholarships for poor students, cash assistance for 'green' farmers' groups, and Rp 1 billion (US$91,500) cash assistance for villages with high poverty levels.
The success of Bali Mandara was the key in Pastika's ability to defeat his primary contender, AA Puspayoga, who was endorsed by the largest political power on the island: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).
'We have to be grateful for the success of the Bali Mandara program, and are hoping that the Bali Mandara program part II can run smoothly for the next five years,' Bhaskara added.
After the high priests completed their incantations and presentation of offerings, the temple priests and other participants carried out a ritual march encircling the monument. Throughout the march they continuously sounded their ceremonial bells and uttered the sacred mantra of Gayatri. The sounds of the bells and the mantra created a solemn aura of spirituality that moved many participants.
On the main stage before the monument, dozens of little girls performed the Rejang Dewa sacred dance.
Pastika expressed his appreciation to all the participants, promising that he would work harder to realize the objectives of the Bali Mandara program in the next five years.
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