The development of tourism always has been and continues to be a reason for the Balinese to be proud of their island and culture. This awareness first evolved during the colonial period of the 1920's and has continued until today. Almost all of Bali's tourism stakeholders agree to develop and promote the tourism of their island as 'cultural tourism', a strategy that uses culture as a tourist attraction for its enrichment. Unlike previous eras, a cultural expression is now widely adopted by the community to articulate their commitment to the development of Balinese culture to keep social harmony on the island. This slogan is 'ajeg Bali'.
The term 'ajeg Bali' was formally introduced to the public for the first time in May 2002, during the launching of Bali TV, the then new local television network owned by the Bali Post group. The establishment of local television was made possible by the new broadcasting regulation issued in 2002. This regulation was part of the decentralization process of the Indonesian government from being centralistic, and aided in the promotion of regional autonomy. During the era of the centralistic government, which ended with the fall of President Suharto in 1998, all TV stations had to be based in the state capital of Jakarta, whereas the new regulation promotes the establishment of regional-based television.
Local television is also a form of democratization of information, in which news or information not only comes from the capital but also from the periphery. In addition, especially for the Bali Post Group, the establishment of Bali TV not only aims to support the democratization of information but also aims to promote local culture as the foundation of a true Balinese identity. This regional identity became important following the era of regional autonomy that began in 2000.
Since it was first introduced, the meaning of ajeg Bali closely related to the attempt of safeguarding or rejuvenation of Balinese culture in the midst of the growing phenomena of modernization and globalization. The Bali TV produced billboards of ajeg Bali around Denpasar city contains three incitements, that are “let's use Balinese language, safeguarding Bali, and preserving Balinese culture”. For most Balinese, this invitation was a cliché because the encouragement to preserve Balinese culture had been exhaustedly promoted through various channels and attempts. Until this moment, the ajeg Bali expression was no more than just a meaningless cultural expression.
However, the meaning of ajeg Bali gained a sudden importance after the Bali bombings of October 2002 that killed 202, of which 88 victims were Australian. This cultural expression then became a social and even political slogan. People say this term is not only meant as an invitation to preserve Balinese cultural but also to safeguard Bali from any form of threat especially from terrorists. The expression ajeg Bali thus became a powerful term to invite people to be highly vigilant in the context of security. They believed, that without a guaranteed security, tourists would not come to Bali. After the bombings of 2002, several banners were publicly placed that announced 'Bali is safe, tourists come'. Suddenly safety and security were considered of greater importance, rather than that of culture. Without tourists, Bali would suffer or no longer be 'ajeg' (standing strong). Therefore, tourism recovery was promoted as part of the move to attain ajeg Bali. The philosophy of ajeg Bali is always considered as the rational for many social and business activities, such as cleansing ceremonies, post-bombings orchestral performances, Bali's clean up day, as well as also supporting regional competitions.
As the tourism industry slowly picked up several months after the terrorist attack, the already popular term of ajeg Bali became a buzzword. It started to lose its meaning. The public started to ask what its exact meaning was. Thus, people questioned whether ajeg Bali was a cultural propaganda, political move, or marketing strategy of the media group that introduced and used it. Alternatively, was it an attempt to bring Bali back to its old past? Other interpretations were that ajeg Bali was an attempt to 'safeguard Bali to be able to forever stand strong'. There was also a fear that the idea behind ajeg Bali was to make Bali stand still or become stagnant. Like many other terms or expressions, it is not easy to define it to satisfy every party.
Although there is no single meaning of the term, people and politicians keep using it for their own means. In a political rally of 2004 prior to the most democratic Indonesian general election to date, the term ajeg Bali was highly used. Almost each presidential candidate who came to Bali accepted and used the term ajeg Bali in their political rallies. They came to the Bali TV headquarters, either voluntarily or having been invited by the Bali Post Group, to not only be interviewed for a live but to also sign an inscription of ajeg Bali at the station. Anyone who makes a visit to Bali TV will see dozens of inscriptions of Ajeg Bali attached to the wall of the station building, including an inscription signed by former President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The inscription that is signed by Megawati dated 2nd July 2004 says 'let us safe guard Bali! Keep the unity of the nation with the spirit of unity in diversity! The other inscriptions have similar meanings. In this context, the slogan ajeg Bali gained national attention although its echo remained local.
Outside political practices, the community continues to give their own interpretation of the term ajeg Bali. There was a social advertisement on Bali TV that said 'lets keep Bali ajeg by saying Om Swastyastu', a local Hindu greeting. For some, this invitation may be too simple, for others ajeg Bali is a move to bring value into practice. Furthermore, ajeg Bali simply means that the Balinese can perform more culturally related activities; perhaps more children learn how to dance and how to play Balinese gamelan, or perhaps more people will sing Balinese pop songs. There are even public competitions to select ajeg Bali teachers as well as ajeg Bali students. What ajeg Bali teachers and students actually means is that those who have more knowledge, understanding, and skills of the Balinese culture will supposedly be those who will install the foundation of commitment to safeguard Bali and its culture.
After the second bombings on 1st October 2005, the awareness among the Balinese to maintain security and safety became as important as their thriving culture. Opinion makers share the view that the security and safety of Bali can only be maintained if cultural resilience is developed as well. Therefore, may ajeg Bali live long.
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