The Balinese People’s Forum to Reject Reclamation (ForBALI) has clapped back at a member of the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) in Bali, Nyoman Parta, after the latter dismissed Sunday’s protest against reclamation in Denpasar as “nonsense.

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“How can he say it’s nonsense? If you were to look at it solely from Sunday’s protest, sure he can say that. But we’ve been doing this for six years. What has Parta done for the last six years?” ForBALI coordinator, Wayan Gendo Suardana, told Radar Bali on Monday.

Gendo was responding to a statement from Parta criticizing ForBALI’s choice of timing for their Sunday protest and claiming that if they were to have come at 10a.m. on a working day, they would have been received by DPRD members

“We will not avoid the people when they come here, nor will we reject … but they should come at 10 a.m., if they are staging a protest, and not a meeting,” Parta told Radar Bali. 

“If you want to hold a meeting, let’s find a time. We are ready to receive. But not on Sunday, who is going to be here? That’s nonsense,” Parta added. 

On Sunday, ForBALI again took to the streets of Denpasar in a long march towards DPRD Bali to protest the controversial Benoa Bay reclamation project. This time around, the march adopted an elaborate performance meant to depict the delivery of a useless corpse, referred to as “Bangke Maong,” which the group likened to DPRD Bali. 

 

“That’s the criticism against DPRD Bali. In regards to the Benoa Bay reclamation project, they are a useless institution, much like a useless corpse,” ForBALI announced on Sunday, according to a statement. 

The act culminated in participants leaving flowers to convey their grief in front of a banner that says: “Our Deepest Condolences to the Death of Representation of the People’s Voices.” 

Sunday’s protest, of course, is not ForBALI’s first. Formed in 2013, the group is the driving force behind the “Tolak Reklamasi” (Reject Reclamation) resistance movement against the proposed project in Benoa Bay. 

If realized, the development would see Dubai-esque artificial islands created in South Bali; a fresh base for hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities. The issue is contentious for several reasons, including the fact that the area has already been declared “sacred” by the country’s governing Hindu authority and because it would require ripping up mangrove forests and likely create flooding issues in Benoa and its surrounding areas. 

Protesters took to the streets of Denpasar on June 23, demanding Benoa Bay to be returned to an area for conservation. Photo: Bali Tolak Reklamasi / Facebook
Protesters took to the streets of Denpasar on June 23, demanding Benoa Bay to be returned to an area for conservation. Photo: Bali Tolak Reklamasi / Facebook

Earlier in March, ForBALI staged their first demonstration this year in protest of a location permit issued by the Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti. 

“Our protest against DPRD, we’ve done it dozens of times. We have never been received [by the members] once. We have done it on a weekday, and certainly in the morning, too. Don’t try to get away from the issue because we happened to do this [recent] one on a Sunday,” Gendo said. 

Gendo challenged the council to come to ForBALI’s secretariat for a change, where they could discuss the matter thoroughly. 

“Let us debate, have a dialogue, and let us find a firm stance from DPRD. If they are brave, then they should show us where they stand. Does Parta have the guts to reject reclamation?” Gendo asked.

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