Friday 20 August 2010

Bungklang Bungkling: Hindu Vigilantes Front (FPH) by Wayan Juniartha

Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘FPH’, a column by I Wayan Juniartha, published in Bali Post, Sunday, 15th August 2010.
Translated by Putu Semiada



Hindu Vigilantes Front (FPH)

All the palm toddy members are nervous as one of their members asks for a permission to do a presentation.

“I often run out of money having heard a presentation,” says I MadéOndo Moyo (I Made Stupid Look).

Two days ago, a relative of him did a MLM presentation (Mesatua Lantas Morotin = Approach and then Take All). After the presentation he spent a lot of his money buying many kind of products from lipstick, eye-shadow, perfume to medicine which was believed to be able to cure any kinds of diseases, from skin fungus to AIDS. He had to sell his cow to pay the products.

“Damn you, why do you think I will take your money,” suddenly I Wayan Laskar Cinta (I Wayan of Love Force) comes up.

I Madé says nothing. He knows that I Wayan is a vigilance man. He has joined many vigilance organizations. He even has killed some men, countless ‘pigs’ and ‘ducks’. That’s what is said.

Without greeting and introduction, I Wayan starts his presentation. According to him, it’s time for them to form FPH (Hindu Vigilantes Front), an organization which will look after the Balinese Hindu followers.

He says that a lot of advantages can be obtain.

“Firstly, it will make the local vigilantes have better positions. Look at what the FPI (Front Pemineh Pedidi dogen = Front of Arrogant Vigilantes). No matter how they usually beat innocent people, damage billiard centers and once dismissed gay and lesbian conferences, when they celebrated their birthday, the governor and the chief commander of police joined the celebration.”

“Secondly, There, for sure, will be sustainable financial resources for the vigilantes and vigilante cadres.

“At the moment their financial resources are political parties, political leaders, brokers and investors. If the political party lose, their financial resource will be disappeared too.

Religion will never go bankrupt. Let alone the Balinese Hindu. No matter how bad the economic situation is, the Balinese are still be able to renovate their temples or do ceremonies which often cost billions of Rupiahs. A lot of Balinese are indeed poor, but when it comes to a religious matter, they never think twice in spending money and a bit ‘show off’.

So when a mass organization attached themselves to a religion, they will be always have financial resources.

“When the vigilantes’ status is better, when their financial resources are fixed, it will be much easier for us to instruct them to stop beating innocent people, and they will look more ‘elegance’ when damaging one’s place (café, etc.), or can do in nice way when taking one’s belonging.

It seems that a combination between vigilantes and religion will create ‘religious vigilantes’ and a ‘violence religion’.

“So,when we have the FPH, our religion will be strong and the ‘safety’ of our ‘gods’ will be guaranteed.”

“Anyone dares to insult our Balinese Hindu religion, we will beat them up. Anyone dares to play with our sacred statues or symbols, we will destroy their houses, and anyone be lazy ngayah, we will also beat them up.”

“We will stop anyone who does not wear white and yellow dresses when entering and praying at temples, and we have to punish anyone who can not spell tri sandhya (Hindu prayer) correctly. We will also forbid any impolite tourist entering a temple.”

“The Balinese Hindu therefore will become a strong religion and make others ‘nervous’ and respect us.

If they still disrespect us, we can just bomb their place. So far, our island has always become their bomb target?? Why isn’t vice versa?

Everyone thinks that if FPH is established, so the first victims will be the Balinese themselves, from the lazy palm toddy members to the statue vendors in Gianyar who just lay the statues by the streets.

“What is really your agenda with the establishment of FPH?” ask I Madé.

“I need your support. The vigilantes alone can not make it. We need support from community leaders and Hindu followers to be our thinkers and patrons. If we get the supports from our leaders, like the FPI’s Saib Brisik lan Aduk Lawar Kanti Pasil (refer to FPI’s leaders Habieb Rizieq and Abu Bakar Ba’asyir), we will be soon formed.”

Now everyone smiles. They all know that no matter how hypocrite the Balinese Hindu elders, but so far no one want to be ‘vigilante’, nor change Balinese Hindu to be a ‘violence religion’.