Kuta cafe owners in rift with locals on religious reason

Kuta cafe owners in rift with locals on religious reason

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Owners of 30 cafes along the Kuta beach
are now in conflict with the Hindu community in the area.

People want the cafes to be demolished because they disturb
the annual religious ceremony performed by the Hindus along the
beach. The Badung administration, which has the authority over
Kuta, has agreed that by October, all of the cafes must be torn
down.

The protest against the cafes was made through the Forum on
the Preservation of Kuta, a Non Government Organization which
gains support from 23 customary villages around Kuta. Every year
the Hindus perform a universe purification ceremony along the
beach.

"Just imagine, when the Hindus are praying, the cafes are
serving drinks to guests, some of whom are wearing underwear
only," the forum leader, Made Suwedja, said.

As a matter of fact, the problems started a few years ago
after the Badung administration cleared the bushes along the
beach and allowed people to erect tents and operate cafes there.
Kuta has always been a favorite tourist attraction. Hundreds of
colorful tents become shelters for visitors who come to enjoy the
panorama, not to mention the wonderful sunsets.

The operation of the cafes and the semi-permanent tents,
however, is opposed by nearby hotels, whose restaurants also face
the Kuta beach. The hotel owners say that the cafes block the
view of the hotel guests.

They also referred to regulations stating that there should
not be any permanent building located between 50 and 100 meters
from the beach.

The Badung administration then issued a new regulation: each
of the tents must have only one supporting pole instead of four.

But for the Hindu community, this does not solve the problem.
One-pole and four-pole tents are just the same. What bothers them
most is the tourists wearing swimsuits, sitting under the tents
or laying on the beach, watching the procession of thousands of
Hindus carrying statues and other sacred objects.

The cafes themselves have enjoyed good business. Gusti Ngurah
Rai, chairman of the Union of Kuta Cafe Owners, said that its 30
members have about six employees each and generate income of
about Rp 12 million per month. The cafe owners, who have invested
some Rp 40 million each, cooperate with the Central Cooperative
of the Armed Forces. Each cafe sets aside about Rp 500,000 a
month for the cooperative.

In the spirit of reform, the Forum for the Preservation of
Kuta launched their strong protest against the operation of the
cafes. They talked with officials at the Badung administration,
the Wirasatya local military resort command and the Udayana
military command, which covers Bali and some other provinces.
Badung Regent Gusti Alit Putra then decided on June 30 that all
cafes along the Kuta beach must be demolished by October.

But something unexpected happened. The Forum, as well as the
Kuta Community Welfare Organization, which supports the decision,
were terrorized by threatening phone calls and letters from a
group who called themselves the Hungry People.

Gusti Ngurah Rai denied that his organization had anything to
do with the terror. He said that the cafe owners would cooperate
to preserve the Kuta beach and try to put things in order. He
even offered to contribute some money to the customary villagers
and respect the religious ceremony along the beach by closing the
cafe for the public when the rituals take place.

Many people insist that all of the cafes must be torn down but
they doubt whether the government will do this. Will the
authorities be tough and take stern measures against the cafe
owners? Isn't there any other "power" behind the business people?
In the meantime, Gusti Rai has stated that he would sue the
Badung administration if they decided to demolish the cafes. He
argues that the cafes were built with the government's approval,
even though they are too close to the beach.