JP\/5\/OLD<\/p>\n
Historic Medan buildings on the brink of destruction<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Medan<\/p>\n
Hendra Arbie had nothing to say when his friend from Malaysia
\nasked him on why several historic buildings on Jl. Kesawan,
\nMedan, were being demolished. The Malaysian said it was a great
\nshame that the old buildings were being destroyed.<\/p>\n
After a long silence, Hendra could only say: "Money rules
\nhere."<\/p>\n
True, the power of money has resulted in many old buildings on
\nJl. Kesawan be demolished and modern structures erected. The old
\nbuildings, which should be protected as they possess historical
\nvalue, have been replaced by offices and malls.<\/p>\n
Three buildings built in the Dutch East Indies days on the
\nfamous street are currently being demolished. The demolitions
\nhave been going on for several days now despite mounting protests
\nfrom many quarters.<\/p>\n
"We are not anti-development, but development should not
\ndamage old buildings. We should preserve the old buildings as
\nthey have historical value," said Hendra, the founder of the
\nSumatra Heritage Board.<\/p>\n
Hendra, the owner of the Garuda Plaza Hotel in Medan, said
\nthat what was going on in Medan was in total contrast to what was
\nhappening in Malaysia. In the neighboring country, the government
\nhelped preserve old buildings, frequently turning historic
\nquarters into tourist attractions.<\/p>\n
In Medan, however, the local government allowed the buildings
\nto be demolished one by one.<\/p>\n
The director of the Sumatra Heritage Board, Suhardi Hartono,
\nsaid the government should pay more attention to the matter as
\nold buildings were being demolished at an alarming rate.<\/p>\n
According to the board's figures, dozens of old buildings in
\nthe city had been demolished in the past few years, including the
\nDeli Serdang Regency Offices on Jl. Katamso, the South East Asia Bank
\non Jl. Pemuda, the Public Works Office on Jl. Listrik and the ex Mega
\nEltra building on Jl. Katamso, which was built in 1912.<\/p>\n
Among the latest buildings being demolished on Jl. Kesawan,
\none was formerly used by Modern Bank.<\/p>\n
Suhardi said it was the duty of both the public and the
\ngovernment to help preserve old buildings. This would not be easy
\nas there were still a large number of old buildings in the city.
\nHe said that the board had listed 42 old buildings that were
\nstill being used as offices by the Medan city government and were
\nprotected under a city bylaw issued in 1988. The board is now
\nproposing that the city government designated 73 other buildings
\nas protected buildings. Medan city government spokesman Arlan
\nNasution said the government was discussing the proposal.
\nResponding to a journalist's about the latest demolitions, Arlan
\nsaid the old buildings being demolished were not protected by the
\ncity bylaw.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp5old-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}