Translated by Putu Semiada
I Made Brangas Brangti (I Made Bad Temper) says that when you want to be a man, you must dare to ‘fight’.
“If you don’t, you will be called a ‘coward’ and you will never to be a man.”
Everybody nods. Nobody dares to shake their heads to show disagreement. Everyone knows that I Made is a well-known street guy (preman). If they disagree, there is a possibility that I Made will hurt them.
I Made has been on the street since he was a child.
When he was in elementary school, he often asked his school-friends for money. Now he collects uang keamanan (money given by certain parties, especially businessmen, to street guys for safety purpose). If one doesn’t give them money, he/she will be in trouble. That’s what uang kemanan is all about.
I Madé has never been to the warung for quite some time. He spends his time mostly in pubs and bars and he drinks Jack Daniels and Johny Walker. He doesn’t drink rice wine (arak) or palm toddy (tuak) anymore. He says that it’s not his taste.
“You don’t buy what I say, do you? Look at what happened in Balinese villages in the old times. When someone is about to be a grown up, he has to fight. Otherwise, he will still be considered a ‘child’ or a coward.
Everyone nods and nods, and says, “I buy what you say, Dé”.
Made’s breath smells of palm toddy. He seems to be drunk and everyone knows that it is useless to argue with a drunk person.
“Probably that’s why we Balinese like fighting: nobody has ever taught us how to solve problems by discussion since we were children and even until we are old.”
Just when you start your study at Senior High School, your senior will abuse you, physically. The same thing happens when you start to study in university.
‘Well, when we, the local street guys, fight each other, everyone gives their massive comments. They say that Bali is not safe anymore. Having heard what I said, don’t you realize now that we Balinese have aggressive character?”
Some of us fight using kris. A banjar fights against their neighbouring banjar because of land and ogoh-ogoh problems; a banjar fights against his members because of a dead body; a brother fights against his brother due to inheritance or love affairs.
Some people ‘fight’ by arguing: the governor against the local House of Representative members; a mayor against Election Commission (KPU), and taxi drivers against the governor.
“So nobody wants to solve problem in a polite way. For them, dialog is all about staring, shouting, swearing; nobody wants to listen to others. Eventually they will solve a problem by fighting, or by not talking to each other.
“So, from now on we should teach our children how to solve problems by discussion. They can learn that one is judged from how he talks, not how he fights.
Everyone claps their hands. They agree with I Madé.
“You haven’t been to a warung for such a long time, now you are here and talk like Krisna. All you say is true and good, indeed. Now I want to ask you something: Why did you talk about that here at the palm toddy warung?” asks I Ketut Lemes Lamis (I Ketut Talks Smart).
I Made gets angry.
“What an idiot you are: If I talk like this in a pub or a bar, they will hit me.”
Everyone nods. They now understand that I Madé is just using the palm toddy to ‘lecture’ them. Once he is done, he will go away on his Harley and show off how firm his arms and how big his money.
