Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Dupa’, a column by I Wayan Juniartha, published in Bali Post, Sunday 24th July 2011. Translated by Putu Semiada.
Dupa (Incense)
How can we prevent people from fighting each other?
“Just buy them two trucks of incense,” says I Ketut Bogbag.
Everyone seems to surprise to what happened to the Balinese in Bangli. They were fighting among them. How could they so cruel to their own Balinese fellows. The thing is that they respect the people from other islands or countries very much, but not to their own Balinese fellows. When one deal with foreigners, one becomes so polite and always ready to give a hand. When one asks for dispensation from the banjar (village council) on certain obligation (contribution, etc), the people will get angry. But when investors want to buy lands, tourists ask for ‘striptease, the people will be happy to do that.
“Watch your mouth, Tut. This is a serious problem. If thing like this happens, Bali will be getting worse. How can a serious problem can be solved using incenses,” says I Made Srayang-Sruyung (I Madé Crazy Idea).
“What do you think the solution then?”
“You know, even you bust ones who make troubles and send them to jail, here will be still problems. You bust the old, it will be the young who make trouble then.”
“If you make regulations, no village council will accept them as each village has already had their own regulations (awig-awig). Nobody will obey them. They have their own autonomy. That’s why when there is a riot, nobody will listen to the higher traditional institutions.
Traditional leaders find it difficult to make peace among them because the leaders themselves have their own vested interest. No leaders dare to be against their own village. The fact is that, nobody listen to what they say.
“Balinese like to fight among themselves. ‘The Balinese are friendly’ is just a slogan created by tourism industry to attract tourists.”
“The thing is that how to make hot-tempered people to friendly ones.”
“The solution is by using ‘empowered incenses’ (dupa pasopati). It is believed that they can create positive vibration and peaceful mind; all evil influences, black magic, voodoo will go away.”
“One incense can make a good vibration for 9 m2 area”; that what an advertising says, which means that it will need 2 – 3 trucks of incenses for one village.
If this thing works, it means that the Balinese are “great people”.
