Bali Governor Rejects DPRD's Desire To Legalize Chicken Savings

Bali Governor Wayan Koster responded to the proposal of a number of members of the Bali DPRD to legalize the tajen in Denpasar, Monday 30/6/2025. ANTARA/Ni Putu Putri Muliantari.

Bali Governor Wayan Koster rejected the proposal of a number of members of the Bali DPRD who wanted to legalize tajen or cockfighting if their position was a gambling vehicle.

Koster said that if the tajen is seen as a need for tradition and a ceremony of worship without elements of gambling as it has been passed down from generation to generation, then it is not wrong.

"But apart from that, if the tajen is held in a special place, not the event, it is included in the gambling category, it is prohibited," he said, Monday, June 30.

Koster also assessed that if there are plans to make regional regulations as legal umbrellas for cockfighting, it is also unnecessary.

"I don't think it's necessary," he said.

It is known that at the previous plenary session, the Golkar faction asked Governor Koster to respond to the suggestion that the tajen be legalized to maintain its sustainability as a cultural tourism attraction.

I Wayan Diesel Astawa from the Gerindra Party also sees that this gambling one has a positive impact on the Balinese economy, as well as in DKI Jakarta, which according to him, can carry out a lot of development thanks to the legality of the casino under Governor Ali Sadikin's leadership.

The deputy chairman of the Bali DPRD even wanted to try communication to the center to see if there were rules that limit the legalization of cockfighting.

The discourse of legalizing cockfighting emerged after a fight at the Tajen Enjing Les Banjar Tabu arena, Songan A Village, Bangli Regency, on Saturday (14/6) which killed one of the residents.

Governor Koster refused to respond to this cockfighting in the middle of a trial forum discussing the 2025-2029 RPJMD Bali Raperda and the 2024 Bali Regional Budget Accountability Raperda, and only received a brief response after the trial ended.

"With regard to the views and inputs of various factions on matters other than the RPJMD and APBD, in principle I can understand the need for stronger joint efforts to carry out with various stakeholders, and in the future, of course, the right solutions and policies can be found, so that we can carry out Bali's progress in a sustainable manner on the basis of Balinese culture," said Governor Koster.