Denpasar City Government Prepares Regional Regulation For Ogoh-ogoh Preservation

Illustration of ogoh-ogoh transmission during the Maturity Night on Sunday (10/3) at one corner of the road in Denpasar City. BETWEEN/Ni Luh Rhismawati

DENPASAR - Denpasar City Government, Bali, plans to prepare regulations in the form of regional regulations that regulate guidelines for preserving ogoh-ogoh in the local area.

The Head of the Legal Division of the Denpasar City Secretariat, Komang Lestari Kusumadewi, said that the regional regulation would later serve as a guideline for the implementation of the ogoh-ogoh parade.

In addition, we can accompany the Joint Decision of the Madya Village Head of the Denpasar City Traditional Village Council and Sabha Upadesa Denpasar City regarding the implementation of the Nyepi series.

As an anticipation, if the regional regulation has not been completed, in the short term there will be a Amendment to Denpasar Mayor Regulation Number 29 of 2020 concerning Ogoh-Ogoh Preservation by the Culture Service together with the Legal Section.

"Guidelines will contain technical criteria, parade lines, guidance, supervision and loading of administrative sanctions in the form of temporary suspension, temporary sealing and temporary confiscation of ogoh-ogoh and its facilities and/or in the form of administrative fines," Lestari said in the evaluation meeting for the implementation of the Nyepi series.

Chairman of the Denpasar City Indigenous Village Council (MDA) AA Ketut Sudiana said that in general the implementation of the series of Holy Days of Nyepi Saka 1946 in Denpasar City has been running smoothly and safely. However, there are several things that are noted and must be followed up seriously.

The proposal to form the Ogoh-ogoh Preservation Regional Regulation is one of the efforts to maintain Balinese customs and traditions, one of which is ogoh-ogoh.

"This is intended to avoid a shift in meaning and implementation of ogoh-ogoh in Denpasar City. Moreover, as we all know, Denpasar is a capital city with a heterogeneous population," he said.

With this regional regulation, the implementation of the construction of ogoh-ogoh, parades, submissions to the ogoh-ogoh competition will take place systematically. This includes the widespread use of the sound system when singing the ogoh-ogoh which is allegedly not in accordance with Balinese customs, culture and traditions.

"So later with this regional regulation, every stakeholder can carry out control, and the ogoh-ogoh parade or procession can run smoothly according to tradition," he said.

In addition to the proposed regional budget, said Sudiana, several important things were also agreed upon as an evaluation of the implementation of this year's Nyepi Holy Day series.

Among them are the implementation of the ogoh-ogoh parade in the Denpasar City area, especially at the Catur Muka zero point jointly coordinated by the Denpasar City Traditional Village Council, Sabha Upadara, Pasikian Yowana, Parisadha Hindu Dharma Indonesia Denpasar City, Denpasar City Government together with Denpasar City Forkopimda.

The security of the ogoh-ogoh parade in the Catur Muka area was coordinated by representatives of traditional village pecalangs throughout Denpasar City totaling 70 people, along with the Denpasar City Civil Service Police Unit, Denpasar City Transportation Service and Denpasar City Forkopimda.

"What is no less important is that the ogoh-ogoh competition held at the traditional village level with villages/kelurahan is still held in accordance with the awig-ag/pararem/local customary village decisions," said Sudiana.

Denpasar Traditional Village AA Ngurah Alit Wirekusuma fully supports the formation of this regional regulation. In fact, in line with the regional regulation, his party together with the ranks in Denpasar Traditional Village will trigger awig-awig or pararem which will regulate the manufacturing process to uncover the ogoh-ogoh in the Denpasar Traditional Village area.

"Of course we strongly agree, and this can be the basis and guideline for all parties not to abuse the momentum of this Nyepi series, including ogoh-ogoh which deviates from the traditional values of Bali," he said.