Bali mulls legalising cockfighting

The Star

25-06-2025

Far off Bali's tourist trail, heavily tattooed men gather at a clandestine site for traditional cockfighting known as tajen that meshes a bloodsport with ancient Balinese Hindu traditions. - AFP
DENPASAR, Bali: Deputy speaker of the Bali Legislative Council, I Wayan Disel Astawa, has supported and welcomed the suggestion by some councillors that tajen (cockfighting) be legalised because the activity could bring about economic benefits for Bali.
'There are great benefits for development in Bali, just like Jakarta in the past, before the city had toll roads. Through casinos, the city started to develop all over,' Astawa said after a council plenary meeting in Denpasar on Monday (June 23).
He said Bali wanted to enjoy similar development benefits to Jakarta by using tajen.
'Concerning tajen, look at when Ali Sadikin was Jakarta governor, he had the courage to build casinos,' he said.
'Why can't Bali do the same? We have a cultural attraction as the genius loci.'
In addition to the secular tajen, which is often associated with gambling activities, Balinese Hindus also perform religious cockfighting, known as tabuh rah as a blood offering.
It is believed that tabuh rah was introduced into Bali by Majapahit exiles who fled from Java to Bali in the 1200s.
Astawa said that legalising tajen could reduce crime, although currently the matter was still being studied, referring to an incident at a cockfighting arena in Songan A village, Kintamani, Bangli regency, that left one man dead.
'In my opinion, it is just commonsense [to legalise tajen] rather than the current status, where cockfighting is illegal but it still exists,' he said.
'If we legalise tajen, crime will be reduced.'
When asked about tajen arenas run by the public and tied to gambling, Astawa said the council would first consult the central government and check whether there were restrictive regulations.
'Yes, we will seek permission from the central government because of the Criminal Code, whether it is possible, we can be open and discuss this.'
The Criminal Code bans all forms of gambling and bans cruelty and violence against animals, which could include cockfighting, despite not specifically referring to the activity.
Previously, several Bali Legislative Council members suggested legalising tajen as a form of cultural tourism.
Councillor Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih from the Golkar Party is one of those who support the legalisation of tajen. He said tajen was part of the Balinese culture but remained in a legal grey area.
'There are certainly reasons to legaliSe tajen, mostly because tajen is part of Balinese culture,' he said on Sunday, as quoted by detik.com.
'Many who place bets are actually making donations for [religious] ceremonies.' Pratiksa said the absence of regulation meant tajen was abused by certain people for their own personal benefits. He added that legaliSing tajen would have a positive impact on society.
'I believe instead of being misused by irresponsible people, it is better to return the proceeds to the public in the form of regional revenues and grants to the public, so that the entire community can benefit,' he said.
Meanwhile, Bali Governor Wayan Koster strongly rejected the idea of legalizing tajen, saying it was not a simple matter and needed to be studied carefully.
'Don't [legalise tajen just yet]. We must thoroughly study it,' he said on Saturday, as quoted by detik.com. - The Jakarta Post/ANN