Beritabali.com reports that Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted the lack of cleanliness along Bali’s beaches, warning that the unhappy state of many popular beachfronts could diminish the desire of tourists to visit the Island.
Underlining the Indonesian President’s concern has been complaints passed directly to him by high-ranking Indonesian officials and a South Korean General visiting Bali.
Speaking at a National Coordinating Meeting for the Central Government and Regional Governments, President Prabowo said in Sentul, West Java, on Monday, 02 February 2026: “Do tourists want to come and see trash? Indonesia is beautiful. Who wants to see a dirty slum? Do they want to come to Bali? Bali’s beaches are filthy. When I was in Korea, I met leading Korean personalities, including government ministers, generals, and soldiers – none of whom made polite small talk.”
The President even resorted to imitating some of the South Korean officials who expressed disappointment after visiting Bali. Prabowo continued: “They said, Your Excellency, I just came from Bali. It is ow so dirty. Bali is not nice!”
Prabowo described this criticism as a serious warning and reminder for the Indonesian government, particularly for Indonesian tourism destinations. At the West Java Coordination Meeting, the President also projected a large image of a Bali beach covered in trash.
The President continued, underlining that the image of a tourism destination is determined by the cleanliness of the local environment. Prabowo bemoaned that Bali’s innate beauty has been besmirched by piles of trash not being handled properly.
”Now, please excuse me, Governor and Regents of Bali. This is the real Bali in December 2025. This is Bali’s beaches today. Why would tourists want to visit there?” the President complained.
As a concrete corrective step, Prabowo encouraged local governments undertake mutual cooperative efforts to clean Bali’s beaches. The President proposed regular beach cleanups involving schoolchildren, supported by local governments, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (POLRI), and state-owned enterprises.
“Maybe taking place on Saturdays and Fridays, all children can gather on the beaches. These are our beaches – our front yards. Come on! Let’s join efforts and clean the beaches,” said Prabowo.
Meanwhile, NusaBali.com reports that police personnel were dispatched on Wednesday, 04 February 2026, to several beaches in Denpasar and Badung Regency to assist with beach clean-up activities.
In East Denpasar, Police from the East Denpasar Police Precinct are conducting a community outreach campaign at Pantai Galak Beach, involving 74 personnel, comprising East Bali officers and members of the Police Mobile Brigade.
Each Policeman was provided with plastic trash bags to use while sweeping the beaches clean. The filled trash bags were later hauled away by trucks provided by Denpasar’s Environment and Cleanliness Service (DLKH Kota Denpasar).
East Denpasar Police Chief, Commissioner I Ketut Tomiyasa, stated that the beach cleanup program aims to maintain the cleanliness and comfort of Padang Galak Beach, a beach frequently used for religious ceremonies and fishing.
”This activity is an effort to preserve the coastline. Furthermore, Bali is an international tourist destination, especially for natural attractions like beaches,” said Commissioner Tomiyasa. A similar action was carried out by Badung Police and Mengwi Police at Pererenan Beach, Pererenan Village, Mengwi District, Badung. The activity was led directly by the Mengwi Police Chief, Commissioner Anak Agung Gede Rai Darmayasa.
During the activity, personnel were divided into groups to comb the coastline and remove accumulated trash.
”This cleanup is an effort to anticipate and handle trash that has washed ashore, especially now that we are entering the rainy season and experiencing strong winds, which is why a lot of trash is being washed ashore,” said Police Commissioner Agung Darmayasa.
He also stated that the activity was a direct follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s instructions, highlighting waste issues on several beaches in Bali.
The Police Chief emphasized his commitment to maintaining the cleanliness and beauty of the beaches within the Mengwi Police jurisdiction. “This cleanup is an instruction from the President, and it is our duty to carry out that mandate. Similar activities will continue to be intensified on beaches that are potential destinations for waste,” asserted Agung Darmayasa.
Bali Police Public Relations Chief, Senior Commissioner Ariasandy, stated that the beach cleanup was also carried out simultaneously by all police and police resorts (Polresta). Going forward, these beach cleanups will be held regularly during the beach litter season. “The Badung Police cleaned up trash at Pererenan Beach. The Jembrana Police cleaned up trash at Samiana Gilimanuk Beach, Pangkung Dedari Melaya Beach, and Delod Berawah Beach,” said Senior Commissioner Ariasandy.
In addition to cleaning beaches, cleanup programs aim to raise public awareness of the importance of environmental protection. One way to do this is by not littering. “We also urge and encourage the Balinese people to maintain cleanliness and environmental sustainability. Bali is a world-class tourist destination. We must all work together to maintain cleanliness so that visiting tourists feel comfortable,” he said.
Separately, IB Gede Arjana, the Assistant for Economic Affairs and Development at the Badung Regional Secretariat, welcomed the Bali Governor’s plan to establish a Beach Waste Management Task Force. He stated that the Task Force will strengthen the waste management system, beginning with monitoring, control, cleaning, transportation, and sustainable management systems.
”If the Governor forms the Task Force, we will certainly welcome it. With the Task Force, more cleaning personnel can be involved. From monitoring, control, cleaning, to transportation and waste management, it can be carried out more continuously and sustainably,” Arjana said on Kuta Beach on Tuesday morning. 03 February.
Currently, the Badung Environment and Forestry Agency (DLHK) has prepared nearly 300 technical personnel for beach waste cleanup. These personnel include routine staff and sweepers who work in coastal, urban, and residential areas in Badung. Despite having hundreds of personnel for the cleanup, Arjana acknowledged that this total remains insufficient to handle the volume of waste. The DLHK handles not only beach waste but also urban and rural waste.
”The volume of waste is very high. We are overwhelmed because we have to handle beach waste, city waste, and village waste all at once,” he stressed. Regarding the characteristics of the shipped waste, Arjana emphasized that not all of the trash originates from Bali. Field observations revealed numerous forms of trash, including discarded packaging, logs, and twigs, suspected to have originated outside Bali and washed ashore by ocean currents.
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