Culture Minister Urges Acceleration of Museum Law Bill to Strengthen Museum Ecosystem
Indonesia’s Culture Minister, Fadli Zon, attended a public discussion on the Museum Law Bill (RUU Permuseuman) held at the Toety Herati Noerhadi Auditorium, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia (UI).
This public discussion formed part of the Culture Ministry’s commitment to strengthen the direction of policy and the future of Indonesia’s museum sector through the development of comprehensive and long-term regulations.
In his opening remarks, Fadli Zon emphasised that the Museum Law Bill had become necessary because Indonesia currently lacked specific regulations that comprehensively governed museums. “Indonesia needs clear regulations related to museums. As a nation with megadiversity, we possess extraordinary wealth of artefacts, and museums are essentially places to showcase our treasures,” Fadli Zon stated on Monday (9 March 2026).
Furthermore, Fadli Zon highlighted that museums play a strategic role as centres of information, education, and culture that serve as showcases of a nation’s civilisation and culture. Therefore, museums also needed to be encouraged to become part of strengthening culture-based economics.
He emphasised the importance of improving museum management quality, from proper display arrangements and strengthening historical and cultural narratives, to developing professional expertise certification for museum practitioners in Indonesia. In closing his remarks, Fadli Zon underscored the importance of museums’ role in fulfilling Article 32, Paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution regarding the advancement of national culture.
“I hope museums can become showcases of Indonesian culture and civilisation, centres of information, education, and culture, so they can contribute to advancing Indonesia’s national culture amid global civilisation,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of Cultural Protection and Traditions, Restu Gunawan, reported that the study of the Museum Law Bill draft had been ongoing since the beginning of 2026. “The study of the Museum Law Bill draft has been conducted since early 2026. We are inviting various parties to provide comprehensive input to develop a grand plan for Indonesia’s museum development for the next 20 to 30 years, including the development of digital museums,” he explained.
On another note, the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at the University of Indonesia, Untung Yuwono, welcomed the collaboration between academics and regulatory stakeholders in discussing the Museum Law Bill. According to him, this regulation was important to provide a scientific foundation whilst ensuring long-term relevance for museum development in Indonesia. “The Museum Law Bill is about how this nation preserves its memory and collective cultural heritage. In this context, universities have a very strategic role, where academics, researchers, and students work daily with sources of knowledge about the past,” said Untung Yuwono.
The Culture Ministry continues to promote the enactment of strong regulations that support the strengthening of the national museum ecosystem. Through the development of this Museum Law Bill, the government hopes that museums in Indonesia can develop into inclusive, innovative, and relevant spaces of knowledge for present and future generations.