State stands to lose Sukarno's historic house<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An official from the National Library revealed on Thursday that
\nthe state might lose a house of historical value belonging to
\nIndonesia's first president Sukarno, if it failed to acquire the
\nbuilding which is now up for sale.<\/p>\n
Deputy head of the National Library Soengkowo Rahardjo told
\nmembers of the House of Representatives Commission VI on
\neducation that the family of the late Hartini -- the third wife
\nof Sukarno -- had decided to sell the house on Jl. A. Yani,
\nBogor, West Java, given the high maintenance costs.<\/p>\n
\"The family of Ibu Hartini is offering the house for Rp 15
\nbillion (US$1.7 million) and already there is a private company
\nthat has offered to buy it for Rp 10 billion,\" he said, without
\nnaming the company.<\/p>\n
Soengkowo said that so far there was nothing the National
\nLibrary could do, as the building is not listed as a national
\nheritage.<\/p>\n
\"Prominent members of the Sukarno family don't seem to notice
\nthat this house exists, neither does the local administration,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He said the house was home to a number of priceless paintings,
\nvaluable furniture, important documents and books collected by
\nthe late president Sukarno.<\/p>\n
\"Apart from the valuables, the building itself and a bungalow
\non a nearby location are of great historical value,\" the official
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
To prevent the building from falling into the hands of private
\nparties, Soengkowo called on lawmakers to elevate the house's
\nstatus and make it a national heritage.<\/p>\n
\"The House, the National Library, the Office of the State
\nMinister for Tourism and Culture should immediately seek a dialog
\n(with the Sukarno family) to decide the status of the building,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
The house is located near the Batutulis Palace which is often
\nfrequented by a daughter of Soekarno, the incumbent President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the meeting, Soengkowo, revealed the library's plan
\nto insure 10,000 old manuscripts, some of which date back to the
\n13th century.<\/p>\n
\"The old manuscripts, such as the Sutasoma and Negara
\nKertagama, are considered a world cultural heritage and have been
\nexhibited in a number of places around the world. The insurance
\nscheme will protect their value, should there be mishaps during
\ntransportation to other countries,\" Soengkowo said.<\/p>\n
He said that insuring the old manuscripts would give a sense
\nof security to the government, although it would not bring them
\nback in case of theft.<\/p>\n
\"We will submit a proposal for insurance scheme to the
\nDirectorate General of Budget at the finance ministry soon,\"
\nSoengkowo said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-stands-to-lose-sukarnos-historic-house-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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