Art market construction plan faces strong opposition

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, Central Java

Strong pressure against a plan to build an art market near Borobudur Temple in Central Java has finally made authorities buckle, but not for good.

Central Java Governor Mardiyanto agreed to cancel the project last month until an agreement with a wider group of concerned parties was reached.

The planned Rp 48 billion project was first introduced by former minister of tourism Joop Ave and then reintroduced by Mardiyanto in an effort to manage the crowded commercial activities around the world famous Buddhist temple.

PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko, which has the license to manage tourism activities, as well as street vendors in the area are considered to have violated zone division regulations by operating in zones prohibited for such activities.

For instance, PT Taman Wisata violated regulations when hosting the launching of a new BMW product in the temple's grounds. Meanwhile, street vendors have long been considered annoying, insisting tourists buy their wares.

Under the plan, the Jagad Jawa Art Market (PSJJ) is designed as a "shopping center" with 1,200 kiosks inside to accommodate about 1,500 vendors. The mall-style, three-story building will also provide information about Borobudur and various tourist facilities for visitors.

"We plan to manage the flow of tourists in a way so they'll visit the art market. In fact, the market is also designed to accommodate those who do not want to climb the temple," said Wiendu Nuryanti, chairwoman of the market's development team.

Governor Mardiyanto also tried to convince people that the market was planned as an effort to raise the incomes of local residents who, surprisingly, have the lowest income per capita in Malang regency, despite the income generated by Borobudur.

"Jagad Jawa is designed for the benefit of local people. I do hope no one will try to stop the planned project," Mardiyanto said at a recent meeting with the protesting community in Semarang.

Vendors, however, did not warmly respond to the plan, believing less buyers would visit the market. They feared they would not be able to compete with rich traders from outside Borobudur in buying kiosks in the art market. Moreover, the number of existing vendors exceeds the number of planned kiosks.

"In ordinary days, there are about 3,000 vendors and it becomes 5,000 vendors during the holiday seasons. How can the art market accommodate them with 1,500 kiosks?" asked Borobudur vendor coordinator Priyono.

Rejection of the plan also came from the Association of Indonesian Architects and heritage activists.

Tourist guide Arisworo Sutomo, also a writer of the Borobudur Temple tourist book, feared the plan would decrease the temple's sacred value. "The temple's design adopts the mandala concept, meaning that the temple has to be free from big buildings within a radius of five kilometers," said Arisworo.

Semarang-based architect Andi Siswanto said there was a need to take aspects like natural aesthetics and spiritual energy into consideration in any development around the heritage temple.

The Forum of Indonesian Young Architects (AMI) also rejected the plan, announcing recently that more and more people had joined in their calls. In its e-mail to mass media, Marco Kusumawijaya of the forum said it had support from, among others, Pia Alisyahbana of the Indonesian Heritage Conservation Network (JPPI), writer Julia Suryakusuma, choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo and legislator Alvin Lie.

"We even received a special message from poet Sitor Situmorang. He said Borobudur Temple is a world masterpiece. Showing respect to it was a must for a civilized nation. That's why Indonesians have to protect it from uncivilized commercial interests," Marco wrote, quoting the poet.

A source in the Study and Conservation Agency of Borobudur, however, said the planned building would not destroy the temple or its archaeological value. The square where the building would be built was separated by a hill from the temple, making it invisible from the temple.

The source even suggested constructing the development in the form of small cottages instead of a mall-style building.

But it seems the controversy won't go away.

Governor Mardiyanto expressed his stance to familiarize the plan's benefits to the community while taking in ideas from various parties. He believed people were strongly against the project because they were not well informed.

"The commitment to preserve Borobudur Temple cannot just end up by leaving it alone as an antique that can only be watched and enjoyed or seen as a dead monument," he said.