JAKARTA - In the midst of a national policy regarding family planning two children, Bali Governor Wayan Koster took a different stance. He openly rejected the implementation of the KB two child program in his area.
According to Koster, this approach could actually endanger the sustainability of a rich and unique local Balinese culture. Instead, he encouraged Balinese people, especially Hindus, to consider having up to four children in order to maintain the sustainability of ancestral traditions.
In his remarks at the XI IA ITB Regional Congress of the Bali Regional Government which was held in Denpasar, Koster emphasized that Bali's main strength compared to other regions lies in a cultural heritage that is still alive today. If the local population continues to decrease, he said, then there are many traditional practices such as traditional ceremonies, Galungan, Kuningan, and the ngageben procession, it is feared that it will slowly disappear.
If local residents are decreasing, who will carry out religious ceremonies, who will maintain banjar, carry out the Purnama-Tilem tradition? All of this can disappear if we don't maintain the sustainability of the generation," he said as quoted by ANTARA.
However, Koster stated that he did not reject the presence of migrants who work and live in Bali. However, he highlighted the importance of local residents' involvement in maintaining and managing cultural traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.
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"The issue is not the number of people who come to Bali, but who will we entrust to maintain this culture. If there are fewer people born, then fewer will be able to maintain Balinese cultural identity," he said.
As a tangible form of its commitment, the Bali Provincial Government is currently preparing incentive policies for local families who have third and fourth children. For example, by giving awards to children named Nyoman and Ketut, special names for third and fourth children in the traditional Bali naming system.
In fact, the Bali Provincial Government has formed a special team that focuses on accelerating development, including designing a strategy to increase the number of local residents.
I'm fighting hard to protect Balinese culture. If local residents continue to shrink, who will continue? We don't have big natural resources like other regions, our only advantage is culture. If this is lost, then Bali will lose its identity," said Koster closing.
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