Warna Warni Bali |

. (photo by: Ni Komang Erviani)

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Thu, 12/15/2011 8:36 AM

The period between 2000 and 2010 saw Bali record its highest population growth rate in the last 50 years, with the resort island’s population growing by 2.15 percent from 3.15 million to 3.89 million, statistics showed.

The growth rate during the previous four decades never exceeded 2 percent. Between 1961 and 1971, there was a 1.75 percent increase, while between 1971 and 1980 it increased by 1.69 percent. During the period 1980-1990, growth slowed to 1.18 percent, and during the following decade, from 1990 to 2000, it grew by 1.26 percent.

Over the five decades, population growth reached 118.5 percent, from only 1.78 million people in 1961 to 3.89 million people in 2010.

“In the latest decade, 2000-2010, population growth reached its peak, while during the 1980-1990 period recorded the slowest growth, which may have been due to the intensive family planning program,” said I Gde Suarsa, head of the provincial statistics agency.

The total population in Bali is relatively low when compared to other provinces on Java, for instance, or West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara, he said.

“However, in terms of the population growth, Bali ranked second in the country as the province with the highest growth rate, after Banten province, which recorded an increase of 2.7 percent between 2000 and 2010.”

In terms of population density, Bali has yet to become as densely populated as provinces on Java.

“But Bali is the most densely populated province outside Java, as evidenced by population density, which is five times greater than the average across all the provinces in Indonesia,” Suarsa added.

With the island’s total area of 5,636.66 square kilometers, which accounts for only 0.29 percent of the total area of Indonesia, population density in Bali reached 673 people per square kilometer, while the national average is only 124 people per square kilometer.

The high population growth rate in Bali is not only due to birth rates, but also a high rate of migration onto the island, Suarsa said, adding that migrants accounted for 10 percent of the island’s total population.

Most of the migrants gravitate to the south of Bali, primarily Denpasar and Badung, causing an unequal distribution of population density across the island.

“Significant population growth can be seen in Denpasar and Badung, particularly in the central, southern and northern parts of Kuta,” Suarsa said.

The migrants targeted Denpasar and Badung because the two areas offered a variety of job opportunities. In Badung, for instance, there are many hotel and restaurant construction projects taking place.

“The projects require a large number of workers; hence, many people settled in the area to make a living,” Suarsa said.

Denpasar has also been a prime target for migrants as it is the center of education and governance. Besides seeking livelihoods, people migrate to the capital city to study at university.

In response to the high population growth in Bali, Governor Made Mangku Pastika reiterated the importance of improving the quality of Bali’s own human resources, so that they would be better able to compete with the migrants.

“There are an increasing number of people coming to Bali; all of them need jobs, need places to live, and need transportation. We have to improve the quality of our human resources in Bali to be able to face the competition,” he said.

The flood of migrants to the island, however, is unavoidable, due to its fast-developing economy, which attracts people to seek better lives.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/15/bali-records-highest-population-growth-50-years.html

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Mon, 05/09/2011 8:00 AM | Bali

Officers from the elite police mobile brigade (Brimob) “paid homage” to their weapons Saturday to celebrate Tumpek Landep, the Balinese Hindu festival for weapons and metal tools.

Balinese Hindu members of the paramilitary unit began the celebration by praying at Padma Bhuana Temple located close to the unit’s headquarters in Tohpati, East Denpasar.

Dressed in Balinese Hindu attire, the officers prayed to Sanghyang Pasupati, the patron deity of
weapons.

Following the prayer, they gathered at the temple’s outer yard, where dozens of assault rifles, light machine guns, automatic pistols, revolvers, tear gas launchers, batons and shields were arranged on tables decorated with young coconut leaves. Next to the weapons were traditional Balinese Hindu offerings.

Similar offerings were also placed at the arsenal, where the bulk of the unit’s weapons are stored, and before an array of armored vehicles, water canon trucks, personnel carriers and jeeps.

The temple priest chanted while presenting the offerings before sprinkling holy water on the weapons. He then walked to the arsenal and the car pool to repeat the
process.

“Only the Brimob unit in Bali observes this ritual. The tradition is unique to Bali and we want to show our respect to local religious traditions,” Bali Police Brimob commander Sr. Comr. Heni Sulistiya said.

Bali Hindus celebrate Tumpek Landep every 210 days and, placing offerings before weapons, cars, metal tools and even computers.

“Landep means sharp and the celebration is our way of asking the gods for the gift of a sharp mind in our ongoing struggle against the darkness,” Padma Bhuana Temple priest Jero Mangku Made
Sukarma said.

He added that the ritual also symbolized the unit’s commitment to use the weapons to protect and to preserve peace and justice.

“The weapons should be used in the right way for the right reasons,” he added.

Bali Parisadha Hindu Council chairman I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana said Tumpek Landep was originally held to honor traditional weapons, such as kris (wavy dagger) and tombak (spear).

Now, Balinese Hindus use the day to honor everything made of metal and any instruments they use in their work, including laptop computers and cars.

“There is nothing wrong with that since all those instruments are, to a certain extent, also weapons in our battle against poverty and any other challenges posed by modern times,” Sudiana said.

Seorang ibu berjalan kaki bersama kedua anaknya sepulang dari pura usai sembahyang di Hari Raya Pagerwesi pada Rabu (5/8) di Desa Baha, Kabupaten Badung, Provinsi Bali. Di Hari Pagerwesi yang jatuh setiap 210 hari, umat Hindu diharapkan memperkuat diri dari berbagai pengaruh luar yang tidak baik. (Ni Komang Erviani)

Festival and Conference about Culture of North Bali opened on Thursday at Buleleng Regency, Bali. The event will be held until next Monday. (Ni Komang Erviani)

Oleh: Ni Komang Erviani

Di tengah pesatnya perkembangan pariwisata Bali, anak-anak Bali semakin terancam menjadi korban pedofil. Diperkirakan hingga saat ini telah ada sebanyak 3.000 anak-anak di Bali yang telah menjadi korban pelaku pedofil. Pelaku yang sebagian besar orang asing umumnya menjadikan anak- anak berumur kurang dari 13 tahun sebagai target.

“Praktik pedofil sudah ada di Bali sejak lama, tapi masyarakat tidak menyadarinya. Bahkan korbannya pun tidak menyadari bahwa dirinya telah menjadi korban pedofil. Ini membuat jaringan paedofil semakin nyaman mencari korban di Bali,” jelas President CommitteeAgainst Sexual Abuse (CASA) –lembaga swadaya masyarakat yang bergerak mendampingi k rban pedofil – Prof.Dr.dr.Luh Ketut Suryani,SpKJ pada peluncuran buku “Pedofil, Penghancur Masa Depan Anak” di Denpasar Rabu (22/7). Read the rest of this entry »

Okezone - Sabtu, 15 Maret 2008 - 21:32 wib

DENPASAR - Sepekan paska Hari Raya Nyepi, sekitar 600 orang masyarakat Bali melakukan tradisi Dharma Santi (saling bermaafan) di Gedung Natya Mandala Institut Seni Denpasar, Jl. Nusa Indah Denpasar, Sabtu (15/3/2008). Dharma Santi merupakan kegiatan wajib yang harus dilakukan masyarakat Hindu dalam kurun satu bulan setelah Nyepi. Selain kegiatan formal, masyarakat umum juga wajib melakukan kegiatan serupa antar tetangga, kerabat, dan saudara.

Dalam Dharma Santi tingkat Provinsi Bali, hadir masyarakat dari berbagai kalangan. Mulai dari pejabat publik, tokoh agama, akademisi, hingga masyarakat umum. Dalam kegiatan tersebut, peserta juga dihibur oleh beragam tarian tradisional Bali seperti Tari Rejang dan Tari Saraswati. Gubernur Bali Dewa Made Beratha dalam sambutannya menyebutkan perlunya rekonstruksi pemikiran dan membangun identitas diri bagi masyarakat Bali. Pasalnya, di tengah tantangan global saat ini, terkikisnya identitas diri menjadi ancaman besar. “Lebih baik lagi bila diikuti oleh sastra agama,” terangnya. Read the rest of this entry »

DENPASAR - Keunikan Hari Raya Nyepi yang bakal diperingati umat Hindu di Bali pada 7 Maret mendatang menarik perhatian masyarakat dunia. Setidaknya, ada tiga media asing yang sengaja datang ke Bali untuk melakukan peliputan khusus. Masing-masing dari CNN, sebuah stasiun televisi dari Thailand, serta sebuah stasiun televisi dari Korea. Read the rest of this entry »

A dozen beautiful girls danced together in the courtyard of Payogan Agung Temple in Ketewel village, Sukawati, near Ubud in Gianyar in early October.

The dancers were dressed in gold with crown-like headdresses adorned with fresh flowers. Other girls wearing similar costumes sat patiently in a corner of the temple waiting for their turn to perform.

Ni Kadek Dewi Puspayanti and the other girls are members of a legong troupe that was not formed to entertain tourists or dance enthusiasts but to serve in life cycle rites, ceremonies and celebrations. The troupe was rehearsing for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Payogan Agung Temple celebration. Read the rest of this entry »