Bali Governor Wayan Koster Speaks Out Over Viral 'Be Quiet' Video
Denpasar, VIVA – Bali Governor Wayan Koster has clarified an old video clip that has gone viral again on social media, showing him saying “be quiet” during a building clearance operation at Bingin Beach, Badung Regency.
“Ah, this is a clipped video from when I was carrying out the clearance of unlawful buildings occupying state-owned land at Bingin Beach,” Koster said in Denpasar on Monday.
Koster explained that the remark was made whilst he was leading the demolition of a row of villas, restaurants and bars deemed to be in breach of regulations in the coastal area.
“I was in high spirits to enforce order, I said it was not allowed, they had to be demolished — the bars and the restaurants too — you have to do it with high spirits, demolish them because they broke the rules,” he said.
According to Koster, the video clip was taken when a local resident interrupted the clearance process by asking about the fate of workers affected by the demolition of the tourism facilities.
“During the clearance process, someone interjected, saying, ‘Sir, is the government thinking about the workers?’ So I said, ‘Be quiet, we are busy thinking about the demolition and you are asking about the workers — there will be time to think about the workers later,’” he recounted.
Koster believes the recording was recirculated as a clipped fragment, so the full context of the conversation is not visible, creating the perception that he was acting emotionally.
“The context was made to look as if I was berating someone, but it’s fine, let people judge it that way. I remain patient,” he said.
The video that has resurfaced is documentation of a building clearance operation in the Bingin Beach area, Pecatu Village, South Kuta District, Badung Regency, on 21 July 2025 — not a new incident from September 2026.
During that operation, the Bali Provincial Government, together with the local regional government, cleared buildings deemed to violate regulations in the Bingin Beach coastal area.
The clearance covered 48 buildings said to be in breach of the rules and located in an area whose use must comply with applicable provisions.
The Bali Provincial Government carried out the clearance to restore the function of state-owned land and to enforce the rules governing the use of coastal areas.
In that context, Koster said the government continues to pay attention to the plight of affected workers, but the clearance of buildings that violate the rules still had to be carried out. (Ant)