Subak As WCH Needs Government Attention

By Otniel Tamindel

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - UNESCO's decision to include Bali's Subak traditional irrigation system in the World Cultural Heritage (WCH) list should be noted by the Indonesian government.

Subak is a social organisation of farmers who regulate irrigation during the cultivation of paddy on Bali Island for their own mutual benefit.

Therefore, the government should pay more attention to the farmers who practice Subak, a traditional farming and irrigation system peculiar to the Indonesian island resort of Bali.

"The Balinese farmers need serious attention from the government after UNESCO's decision to include Subak in the World Cultural Heritage list," Prof I Wayan Windia MS of Udayana University stated in Denpasar on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Education and Cultural Minister Windu Nuryanti confirmed on Sunday that the Subak system, which represents the old Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, will be awarded the World Cultural Heritage status by UNESCO.

"There is good news for Indonesia. UNESCO has agreed to designate Subak as one of the world's cultural heritages," Nuryanti remarked.

According to her, UNESCO will announce the decision at a court hearing in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on June 20, 2012.

"The struggle to get the Subak system included in the World Cultural Heritage list has been a 12-year-long process. The world not only supports the decision, but is also proud of Indonesia's achievements," Nuryanti declared.

Naturally, the farmers in Bali have welcomed UNESCO's decision and are determined to maintain and preserve the traditional irrigation system on their farmlands.

Subak is a traditional irrigation system that has been practised in Bali for hundreds of years.

It plays a very important part in the life of the Balinese people who own rice farms.

This system ensures that water is fairly distributed during the dry season.

Members of the Subak social organisation have equal rights, regardless of their caste, title or size of land holding.

The farmers meet monthly under the leadership of the elected head of the Subak and jointly decide on issues concerning rice cultivation, such as the right time for planting, harvesting, making offerings, holding ceremonies, repairing dams and applying fertiliser.

In light of this, Prof Windia of Udayana University expressed hope that the central, provincial and district governments will give the farmers land and building tax relief to help them maintain their traditional system.

"Besides, the government is also expected to provide scholarship programmes for the farmers' children, so they can pursue higher education," Windia noted.

He added that the people of Bali, especially the farmers, positively welcomed UNESCO's decision to recognise the Subak system as a world cultural heritage.

Windia, who is also the secretary of the World Cultural Heritage planning and proposal committee, acknowledged that the committee had followed several processes and put in plenty of hard work for over 12 years to get Subak listed as a world cultural heritage.

"Therefore, UNESCO's decision should receive the attention of the central government, the Bali provincial government and the district government in order to conserve and maintain the Subak system for the future," he noted.

He reminded the government that it was very important to pay serious attention to farmers and to ensure that Subak is not known as a world cultural heritage that exists in an unkempt and dirty state.

"If this happens in the future, Subak will no longer be acknowledged by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage. This will embarrass the Indonesian government on the international front," Prof Windia cautioned.

Hence, he added, the government should pay attention to the needs of farmers, so that they are happy to work.

According to him, the attention should start from providing suitable water irrigation systems, the necessary seeds, the marketing of their products, tax subsidies and education scholarships up to the university level for farmers' children with high grades and high achievements.

Meanwhile, local councillors opined that the establishment of the traditional Subak irrigation system as a world cultural heritage was a source of pride as well as a challenge for the Balinese people.

"On the one hand, it is a source of pride for the Balinese people, but on the other hand, it is also a challenge for them to maintain the traditional Subak irrigation system in the midst of incessant globalisation," said a member of the Provincial Legislative Assembly's Commission-II, Anak Agung Gde Gerana Putra, in Denpasar on Monday.

He noted that the Balinese people were facing a big challenge in preserving and maintaining the system, because its existence continued to be marginalised by incessant development, which made land conversion into housing areas inevitable.

"To maintain the existence of Subak, the government and all other stakeholders should pay serious attention to the Subak owners, especially the farmers," said the Democrat Party politician.

Anak Agung was also of the opinion that the government should provide the farmers with seeds, fertilisers and water for irrigation.

"If these basic demands of the farmers are met, I am certain that they will prevent their farmlands from being converted for another purpose," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Legislative Assembly's Commission-II secretary Gede Kusuma Putra said that the government should ensure the maintenance of the Subak system, which has been recognised as a world cultural heritage.

"In its effort to maintain Subak as a world cultural heritage, the government must continue to meet the need of the farmers," Kusuma stressed.(*/T007)