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to the demand, Badung revenue office head Kompyang Rai Swandika said he could do nothing until the bylaw in question was revoked.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