Balinese farmers demand irrigation reform

Balinese farmers demand irrigation reform

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The Bali revenue office vowed to attempt to regain control of an
umbrella group that distributes irrigation water after 700 angry
farmers from Badung regency in Bali demonstrated in Denpasar on
Monday.

Since June last year when the regent issued a bylaw, the
Badung culture office has been responsible for Sedahan Agung, an
umbrella group representing Subak or traditional village
irrigation organizations.

The protesters said Sedahan Agung had performed poorly since
its affiliation with the culture office.

They demanded that control of the group be returned to the
local revenue office.

"We no longer know whom we should approach to solve our
problems. We have tried many times to contact bureaucrats at the
culture office, but we have so far only got unsatisfactory
outcomes," one protester said.

"The bureaucrats who are supposed to be responsible for
Sedahan Agung's affairs are often absent from the office or once
they show up, they have neither the experience nor the ability to
deal with our problems," he added.

Carrying banners, the farmers marched peacefully to the Badung
legislative council (DPRD), where they were received by council
chairman I.B. Suryaaatmadja. They later moved to the city's
revenue office in Renon.

The demonstrators installed a three-meter long banner on the
sign of the revenue office, which sits outside the building,
urging the authorities to be active in efforts to regain control
of Sedahan Agung.

The protesters, mostly leaders of Subak branches, claimed that
last year's bylaw had caused uncertainty among thousands of
Badung-based Subak members in overcoming their problems.

"Sedahan Agung used to be under the management of the local
revenue office, and we had never had any problem with that
arrangement. But suddenly, based on reasons still unclear to us,
the Badung administration put Sedahan Agung under the culture
office, and ever since then we have always been in this state of
uncertainty," said I Ketut Kadir, head of Subak Pacung Babakan
based in Werdi Buana village, Mengwi subdistrict.

In response to the demand, Badung revenue office head Kompyang
Rai Swandika said he could do nothing until the bylaw in question
was revoked.

"I will take your opposition against the current structuring
very seriously, and I promise that I will try my best to revoke
the bylaw, and reinstate Sedahan Agung to its former position,"
Kompyang told the protesters.

Subak is part of Bali's cultural heritage. For centuries, the
traditional organization, which was founded and managed by
farmers, was tasked with making sure that farmers had an equal
share and supply of irrigation water.

Subak is also responsible for maintaining the irrigation
system, water tunnels and dams, and for organizing numerous
religious festivals related to farming activities.

Sedahan Agung serves as a coordinating body for various Subak
organizations in one regency. Apart from settling disputes and
making sure that all Subak work together, it has also been tasked
with collecting taxes and fees from local farmers.