City insists Kartini has to go<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite strong opposition by heritage activists, the Jakarta
\nadministration is adamant it will replace a Kartini statue that
\nhas graced Surapati Park in Central Jakarta for 43 years with a
\nstatue of national hero Diponegoro.<\/p>\n
Kartini, born in 1879 in Jepara, Central Jakarta, fought for
\nequal rights for women, while Diponegoro, born in 1785, fought
\nfor independence from Dutch colonialists from 1825 to 1830.<\/p>\n
A reliable source at the City Culture and Museum Agency said
\non Monday that the decision to remove the historical Kartini
\nstatue was made by Governor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
He said that Sutiyoso had ignored a recommendation by the City
\nRestoration Assessment Team, a team tasked to assess the
\nrestoration of historical sites, who advised the administration
\nnot to remove the Kartini statue.<\/p>\n
\"The team did not agree with the removal of the Kartini
\nstatue, considering its significant historical value,\" the source
\ntold The Jakarta Post on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
The statue will be moved to the under-construction Srikandi
\nPark, also in Central Jakarta, some two kilometers west of its
\ncurrent location.<\/p>\n
The source said that the removal of the Kartini statue and the
\nconstruction of the Diponegoro statue would begin next month.<\/p>\n
Currently, 2.5-meter high fencing around the statue has
\nnotices on it advising that the Diponegoro statue will be erected
\non the site.<\/p>\n
The Kartini statue was a gift from the Japanese government.
\nErected in Surapati Park in 1962, it has served as a symbol of
\nIndonesian-Japanese friendship.<\/p>\n
The city administration has given two reasons for moving the
\nKartini statue, namely that it is too small and faces Jl.
\nDiponegoro.<\/p>\n
But Muhardjito, a member of the City Restoration Assessment
\nTeam, said his team had rejected the administration's plan to
\nmove the statue because it violated the principle of historical
\nauthenticity.<\/p>\n
\"We were invited to discuss the removal plan, but were of the
\nopinion that the statue should not be moved,\" he was quoted by
\ndetik.com as saying on Monday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Cultural Conservation Studies Circle (LSPB)
\nsaid in a statement that the organization could not agree with
\nthe administration's plan to remove Kartini's statue whatever the
\nreason.<\/p>\n
\"Founding president Sukarno decided to place the statue in the
\npark as a symbol of the nation's respect to the fighter of
\nwomen's rights,\" the organization said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-insists-kartini-has-to-go-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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