Cell No. 5 of Banceuy Prison has a history

By Y.R. Prahista

BANDUNG (JP): Banceuy is familiar as a street name to Bandung residents -- and also for the old prison of the same name. The prison, or rather what remains of it, holds particular historical value in Indonesia's struggle to gain independence.

Sukarno, later to become Indonesia's first president, was once detained in Banceuy Prison. He was arrested in Yogyakarta with fellow freedom fighters on Dec. 29, 1929, charged with undermining the Dutch East Indies colonial government. He was held in Mergangsan Prison in Yogyakarta before being transported by train to Bandung.

Bung Karno, as Sukarno was affectionately known, was put in cell No. 5. Here he wrote his famous and courageous defense Indonesie klaagt aan (Indonesia Accuses) for presentation in court. He was only 29 years old.

His defense was sensational and monumental. During the court session on Dec. 22, 1930, Sukarno, as chairman of the board of the Indonesian National Party and chairman of its Bandung chapter, was sentenced to four years in prison. Also jailed were Gatot Mangkoepradja, second secretary of the board, who received two years, Maskoen, secretary of the Bandung chapter, eight months, and Soepriadinata, propagandist of the Bandung chapter, who was jailed for three months.

Bung Karno was later transferred to Sukamiskin Prison, seven kilometers away in Oejoengberoeng district in the eastern part of Bandung.

Banceuy Prison's location in the center of Bandung conforms to the Dutch concept of planning cities in Indonesia, with the town square ringed by important buildings, including a prison.

The regent's office with its hall for holding audiences is located south of the square. The Grand Mosque (Masjid Agung) is to the west. The prison is located to the north, now dissected by Jl. Asia-Afrika with its row of offices and banks.

The town square has not aged well. Today it is home to a rather neglected park; when night falls, it is hard to tell between visitors, prostitutes and others up to no good.

The area around the square has changed into the busiest shopping center in town. Rapid changes also have taken place around Jl. Banceuy. Half of the street has long been used as a center for the sale of auto spare parts. Streets around Jl. Banceuy -- Jl. Suniaraja, Jl. Alkateri and Jl. ABC -- have become a trading zone.

Rapid development of the city center meant Banceuy Prison was no longer suitable because the regional government designated the area for shopping and trade. The prison was demolished and relocated to the city's periphery. On the site, a three-level shopping center with a multilevel parking lot was constructed.

However, the regional government did not demolish cell No. 5 and the guard tower, which were preserved as a monument to Indonesia's struggle for independence.

The cell occupies an isolated location in the three-level shopping center. The walls are still solid. The door leading to the room measures 0.6 meters x 1.5 meters. A hole above the door allowed the inmate to communicate with the prison guard and also functioned as ventilation.

The 2 meters x 3 meters building is located in the corner of a yard measuring 10 meters by 10 meters and surrounded by an iron fence. A corner of the yard has a plaque and a monument. At a glance, its construction does not look like a building marking the struggle for independence. Visitors not knowing Banceuy Prison of old do not easily find the place. The cell's location is only about 30 meters from Jl. Banceuy.

A five-meter-wide corridor leads to the cell. Because levels two and three built on the left and right of the corridor protrude, the upper part of the corridor is nearly closed.

"The corridor and the yard leading to the cell are now used as a parking area for traders' carts," said Karna, a shop assistant at Banceuy Permai shopping center.

Cart owners often join in cleaning up the yard around the cell, he said.

The iron fence on the east side is used to hang laundry, creating the impression of a slum area. "If required the clothes will be removed," said a cigarette vendor who hung washing out to dry there.

Karna said that while students and foreign tourists sometimes visited the cell, "Bandung citizens are seldom seen here".

The cell would no doubt hold more prestige as a tourist attraction if its upkeep and design were better suited to visitors. Still, with the right initiative, it could conform to Bandung's motto -- "clean, beautiful and in bloom" -- and become a monument to be proud of.