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Wonogiri, Central Java. Bowing to pressure from local conservative Islamic organizations, the new head of the Wonogiri district in Central Java is withdrawing his administration’s support, financial or otherwise, for traditional events.

District authorities have in the past supported and also chipped in for the holding of several time-honored ceremonies and processions, but newly elected district chief Danar Rahmanto is changing all that.

“I will only remove three cultural events from local government budgets, but I won’t forbid the people of Wonogiri to run them in a self-financing arrangement,” he told the Jakarta Globe.

The district administration had in the past few years annually earmarked some Rp 3 billion ($340,000) for all tourism programs, including the three events which are all major happenings on the district’s tourism calendar.

Danar said he was morally bound to the political contract he had entered with a number of Islamic organizations and three political parties, namely the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the United Development Party (PPP), for their support in the regional elections.

Other organizations that backed Danar’s candidacy were the Koran Tafseer Assembly (MTA), the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Institute (LDII), Muhammadiyah, the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI), the Indonesian Brotherhood of Hajjis (IPHI) and the Youth of Kabah.

MTA chairman Ahmad Sukino said the group has asked the new district head “to keep his promises.”

Sukino said the three cultural events the group wanted Danar to no longer support were the Jamasan Pusaka , Larung Agung and the agricultural thanksgiving ceremony Sedekah Bumi.

The Jamasan Pusaka involves the cleansing of sacred weapons, including two kris [Javanese ceremonial dagger] and a spear that belonged to the founder of Solo’s Mangkunegara dynasty.

The Larung Ageng has been held since the 17th century and is held in cooperation with the House of Mangkunegara, while the Sedekah Bumi commemorates the spiritual journey of an ancestor of members of the four royal houses in Central Java.

“The traditional ceremonies are misleading people. And the offerings to the sea include a buffalo’s head and harvest produce. Rather than let the food be wasted like this, why don’t we give it to the poor?” Sukino said.

He added that traditional ceremonies were not going to help people get closer to God and would not guarantee them protection.

Wonogiri PPP chairman Anding Sukiman said the party would withdraw support for Danar if he did not pull budgetary support for the events. “This is a political consequence,” he said.

Islamic hard-liners in Central Java have previously launched attacks on popular all-night-long wayang [shadow puppet] performances, saying they were rife with drinking.

Herwasto Kusumo, a prince from the Mangkunegaran royal house, called Danar’s decision “a setback for civilization and insult of Javanese tradition.”

“People believe that the beach is the gateway to the Kingdom of the South Sea, related to the Solo Palace. The local wisdom to give offerings in expectation of harmony of life cannot be eliminated recklessly,” the prince said.

Zainuddin, a local lawmaker, said that he regretted Danar’s decision, as the political interests of a few had prevailed over public interest, while the events had an important place in Wonogiri.

“Preserving and maintaining culture is mandated by law. That is why the government established the Department of Culture and Tourism in Jakarta and its offices in the regions,” he added.

Andrik Purwasito Poerwodiningrat, a cross-cultural communications professor at the state-run Sebelas Maret University, said he deplored the neglect of traditions for the sake of religious interests.

“They must learn from their predecessors, the Wali Sanga [nine Islamic saints], at the end of the Majapahit era — who preached religion by honoring the local, ancestral wisdom,” he said.

Danar, a public transportation entrepreneur, defeated the incumbent Begug Purnomosidi in the September regional elections. Begug, a relative of President Suharto, had supported folklore when he served two consecutive terms as district chief.

“We cannot exclusively rely on revenue from cultural events, nor can we let the people get confused about what’s part of religion and what’s part of custom,” Danar said.

“To promote tourism, we will develop the potential of nature.”