In Reply to: It's been tried before... posted by Daniel on Thursday, 1. April 2004 at 01:20 Bali Time:
I know that stopping cock fighting has been tried before, but in previous tries there was no serious enforcement by the Balinese police. Moreover this time, the move to end cock fighting has the support of Bali's top religious leaders. I too have no doubts that in the most remote areas of Bali, some degree of cock fighting will still go on.
Of course the move to end cock fighting has nothing to due with animal rights issues or cruelty to animals. The seriousness of the move behind ending the practice is purely economical. Way too many families have been rendered bankrupt by the social ills of gambling. Just last year in my own village, my next door neighbor hung himself over his debt situation, the result of too much cock fighting.
I think to write that "gambling in the Balinese is part of their genetic make up" is a bit over the top. Obviously it is a learned social behavior that in spite of it's long tradition, can be changed. Also, to write that by banning it would "surely result in a revolution" is a bit much. Consider the behavior and actions of the Balinese after the 10-12 bombing and their acceptance of Ogoh Ogohs being banned just last week at Nyepi Eve.
Anyway, it might be fun to "bookmark" this discussion and re-visit it in a year to see what really has happened. I don't particularly like Bintang, so perhaps a bottle of red label would be a nice bet? Oops, no gambling allowed! ;<)