Borobudur management needs sanctified approach<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, Central Java<\/p>\n
Poor management of the world heritage Borobudur temple by the
\ngovernment has long been a subject of criticism, and a recent
\ninternational meeting of experts on Borobudur sees the need for
\nradical change.<\/p>\n
The meeting, held from July 4 through July 7 and attended by
\nnumerous local and foreign experts representing different fields
\nof study and organizations, agreed that technical aspects of
\nBorobudur restoration were very good.<\/p>\n
According to chairman of the 4th International Expert Meeting
\non Borobudur Richard A. Engelhardt, there was no need to worry
\nabout the state of the temple's restoration, but poor day-to-day
\nmanagement meant it could not directly benefit the local
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
"The experts and the United Nations Educational, Scientific
\nand Cultural Organization (UNESCO) see that the management has
\nnot been as good as it should or could be," Engelhardt, who is
\nalso UNESCO's regional adviser for culture in Asia and the
\nPacific, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Among the serious problems brought up by the experts during
\nthe meeting was the chaos created by informal commercial
\nactivities at the front entrance to Borobudur, poor management of
\nvisitors and the lack of concern regarding educational aspects of
\nvisiting the temple.<\/p>\n
Some 2.5 million people reportedly visit the temple every
\nyear. However, no attempt has been made to manage the visitors in
\nany way, for example to prevent them from putting too much weight
\non the temple at any one time. Studies have shown that vertical
\ncracking of the temple stones is evident at Borobudur.<\/p>\n
"There is no other explanation for the cracking other than
\nthat too much weight has been placed on them -- there is no other
\nfactor involved. It is simply a load-bearing issue. The weight,
\nof course, comes from the people on it," Engelhardt explained.<\/p>\n
The fact there had been no control of visitors was another
\nconcern of the experts. During the experts' site visit, for
\ninstance, no warning notices for visitors could be seen, while
\nthey were observed climbing all over the main stupa, or bored
\nchildren were running, uncontrolled, around the temple and
\ntouching the stupas.<\/p>\n
"Maybe one kid touching doesn't matter, but (the touches of)
\nthousands do matter," said Engelhardt.<\/p>\n
He added that even if Borobudur were not an archeological
\nmonument or Buddhism were no longer practiced there, the temple
\nwas still a monument that was built to educate. To educate meant
\nthat things should be very peaceful, spiritual and meditative.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, if we want to show the monument to the public we
\nshould show all those aspects that make people feel peaceful and
\nmeditative, and think that they are part of 2,000 years of
\ntradition, landscape and a peaceful location," he said.<\/p>\n
Instead, the management failed to meet expectations. It
\nemphasized the site as a mere recreational ground. "There is
\nnothing wrong with recreation, but you don't do it at sacred
\nspots. You do other things at sacred spots -- you have some other
\nspiritual recreation. So the management should do something about
\nthat," Engelhardt said.<\/p>\n
Another problem highlighted at the meeting was whether the
\nprofit generated from some 2.5 million visitors to the temple had
\nbeen reinvested in the local community. Most of the experts
\nagreed it had been returned to the local community to some
\ndegree, but not directly.<\/p>\n
So far, people had not seen the direct impact of reinvesting
\nthe profits generated by the temple in the community, or
\nunderstood they were also benefiting from the site.<\/p>\n
One way to deal with the matter was direct employment of local
\npeople at the site, creating more job opportunities there and
\nexpanding tourist-related economic activities to surrounding
\nvillages.<\/p>\n
According to Engelhardt, spreading economic activities to
\nneighboring villages would eventually answer the problem of a
\nmushrooming in the number of vendors at the temple entrance, as
\nwell as distribute visitors to attractions other than the temple
\nitself.<\/p>\n
So far, the temple was the only tourist attraction, and
\ntherefore ignored the cultural potential at neighboring villages.<\/p>\n
The meeting also recommended that state Borobudur management
\ncompany PT Taman Wisata provide tourists with supporting cultural
\nor religious attractions, like a meditation school or club, to
\npersuade them to stay longer and create more chance for local
\ncommunities to benefit from the presence of Borobudur.<\/p>\n
For this particular reason, the meeting strongly recommended
\nthat a thorough community catchment analysis be carried out, to
\nlearn more about the local community's social, economic and
\ncultural potential, which could be developed into promising
\ntourism-related activities.<\/p>\n
Engelhardt said UNESCO had decided the first thing to do was
\nto invest in a study of the community's needs. Second, training
\nthe community for better and more jobs at Borobudur and finally,
\nproviding assistance for them to return to the commercial area
\nthus organized in a better, fairer, cleaner and more pleasant
\nway.<\/p>\n
The recent Jagad Jawa project, the government's proposal to
\nbuild a three-story shopping mall at Borobudur compound, also
\nemerged during the meeting, although it was not on the agenda.
\nDirector of PT Taman Wisata Wagiman Subiarso, who was invited to
\nthe meeting, expressed support for the proposal, arguing it would
\nhelp deal with the vendor problem at the temple entrance.<\/p>\n
But UNESCO delegates rejected the proposal, arguing that
\nbuilding a modern commercial shopping mall inside such a
\nprotected area would only degrade the value of the sacred place
\nand would not solve the problem at all. It would only move the
\nproblem, but not solve it.<\/p>\n
"In fact, it will make the problem worse, because the road
\nfrom the present entrance toward the Jagad Jawa site, which is
\nlong enough for a walk and now is a good environmental buffer for
\nthe temple, will be lined with vendor stalls once a parking lot
\nis built there. Thus, it will only create a zone that imprisons
\nthe temple inside a ring of shopping malls," said Engelhardt.<\/p>\n
Engelhardt also criticized the lack of coordination between
\nrelevant state agencies, which he saw as one of the roots of the
\nproblems faced in managing the temple.<\/p>\n
"The department of archeology does not coordinate with PT
\nTaman. At the same time, PT Taman does not cooperate with the
\ncommunity," said Engelhardt, underlying the need for major change
\nin the management structure of Borobudur, which was also
\nrecommended by the meeting.<\/p>\n
The 4th International Expert Meeting, the last before
\nBorobudur enters the second phase of restoration, was given the
\ntask of formulating recommendations to be adopted for the next
\n20-year restoration plan. Unlike the first phase, the second will
\nnot only focus on the tangible, but also intangible aspects, to
\nthe benefit of all.<\/p>\n
"In this case, we just want to make sure that all parties
\nresponsible, from the minister down to the regent, and even the
\ngardeners who cut the grass, all understand why the
\nrecommendations are as they are."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/borobudur-management-needs-sanctified-approach-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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