Posts from — 31 January 2009

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakata Post, Denpasar

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika announced Friday that he had rejected an investment offer from PT Anantara to develop Lake Buyan in Buleleng into an eco-tourism resort.

“I have rejected PT Anantara’s request to develop Lake Buyan. I signed the rejection papers on Friday,” he said during a meeting with the Forum for the Protection of Sacred Sites and Bali High Priests, at the governor’s office in Denpasar [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Gianyar

The Regional Election Commission (KPUD) in Gianyar, Bali’s renowned performing arts capital, is planning a cultural festival to kick off the official campaign period in March.

The event, which will showcase local artists, traditional performances and feature a street procession, aims to promote a peaceful and culturally-sensitive election period.

“The street parade and performances will take place on March 16, the first day of the official campaign period,” Gianyar’s KPUD communication officer ESR Kurniawan said Friday. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Fri, 01/30/2009 3:13 PM | Bali

The Bali Animal Husbandry Agency has requested a further 50,000 doses of rabies vaccines from the Health Ministry, as it prepares for skyrocketing demand for the drug.

“We’ve had already requested 50,000 more rabies vaccines to anticipate any possible scarcity,” agency head Ida Bagus Alit said Thursday in Denpasar. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani ,  Contributor ,  The Jakarta Post, Denpasar   |  Thu, 01/29/2009 1:54 PM  |  Bali

The Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD) has confirmed it will not place voting booths in Besakih Temple.

The decision was taken despite concerns that voter turnout in

Bali could reach an all-time low as voting day coincides with a major, island-wide Hindu ritual, the largest of which will take place in the temple. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Thu, 01/29/2009 9:57 AM  |  The Archipelago

The Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD) has confirmed it will not place voting booths in Besakih Temple.

The decision would be made despite concerns that voter turnout in Bali could reach an all-time low as voting day coincides with a major, island-wide  Hindu ritual, the largest of which will take place in the temple. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani ,  Contributor ,  The Jakarta Post, Denpasar   |  Wed, 01/28/2009 3:23 PM  |  Bali

The Bali Elections Commission (KPUD) officially decided Tuesday to shorten the campaign period for the upcoming election from 21 days to 14 days, after finding several religious festivals would fall on campaign days.

The decision was made at a meeting at the Wiswa Sabha building in Renon attended by leaders of political parties, legislative candidates and candidates for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD). [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Tue, 01/27/2009 1:27 PM  |  Bali

The Bali administration has reduced the number of live cattle allowed for export to 55,000 in 2009 from 75,000 last year to prevent a further decline in the population of indigenous Bali cattle.

“This reduction is to protect our declining numbers of the Bali breed of cattle,” Ida Bagus Alit, head of the Bali Animal Husbandry Agency, said Friday.

Alit said the Bali administration had been reducing the number of live cattle allowed for export in the last few years, citing Bylaw No. 2/2003 on the restriction of exporting female calves from Bali. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani, ,  The Jakarta Post, ,  Denpasar   |  Sat, 01/24/2009 3:23 PM  |  The Archipelago

Dozens of environmental activists staged*a protest Friday in front of the Bali governor’s office to oppose a plan to develop Buyan Lake in Buleleng.

Wearing masks in the likeness of Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, the activists, under the banner of the Bali chapter of the* Indonesia*Forum for the Environment* (Walhi), rejected the plan to develop Lake Buyan into the Buyan Eco-tourism Heaven resort, calling it a capitalist’s agenda. [Read more →]

Ni Komang Erviani, ,  The Jakarta Post, ,  Denpasar   |  Sat, 01/24/2009 3:34 PM  |  Bali

An international cruise ship port under construction in Tanah Ampo village in Manggis, Karangasem, about 50 kilometers east of the Bali provincial capital of Denpasar, is 20 percent complete, Regent I Wayan Geredeg said Friday.

“This port will become one of the biggest in Southeast Asia,” Geredeg said after meeting with Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, adding that the port, on which construction began in 2006, was scheduled to become operational by the end of this year. [Read more →]

Andra Wisnu and Ni Komang Erviani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Fri, 01/23/2009 9:45 AM  |  The Archipelago

Amidst concern that voter turn-out in Bali would reach an all time low as voting day coincides with a major Hindu ritual, the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Association (PHDI) reiterated that the Balinese will turn up.

Head of the Bali PHDI, I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, said that the Hindu Balinese would never miss voting day because they are as committed to voting as they are committed to their religion.

“Maybe some would make a mistake in voting because they don’t know whether to punch a hole or tick the ballot paper, but there is no way any Hindu Balinese would not vote,” Sudiana said in a telephone interview on Thursday.

Voting day on April 9 coincides with the night of the full moon during the Panca Wali Krama, a Hindu ritual celebrated once every 10 years that begins on March 18 and lasts until April 24.

On the night of the full moon of April 9, the Balinese are expected to travel in droves to Pura Besakih, the largest Hindu temple in Bali, to pay respect to the Gods.

The Bali Provincial Election Commission (KPUD) has raised concerns that the event might reduce voter turn-out in Bali to an all-time low.

However, Sugiana argued that the KPUD should not worry because the Balinese would not abandon voting to celebrate Panca Wali Krama.

“For the night of April 9th, the Hindu Balinese should certainly vote because they know that they still have a month to do the ritual,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the main ritual of Panca Wali Krama would be held on March 25, the day in which he expected adherents to gather in Pura Besakih en masse.

“So if there is a low turn-out on voting day, it simply will not have anything to do with Hindu rituals,” Sugiana said.

Head of Bali KPUD I Ketut Lanang Perbawa said the commission was still concerned about the scheduling clash between voting day and Panca Wali Krama.

He said the KPUD would continue its campaign to get voters to turn up earlier on voting day before leaving to Pura Besakih.

“We’re making sure that we don’t leave any holes unplugged,” he said.

A total of 4,924 legislative candidates from 36 political parties will contest the coming election and up to 30 candidates will vie for seats at the Regional Representative Council.

Bali is home to more than 2 million eligible voters. The election campaign season runs from March 16 to April 5.

In a related development, the KPUD expects regional election commissions in Bali to ask for the Denpasar city administration’s help in supervising voting stations, citing an upsurge in travel during Panca Wali Krama