Going on a family outing, discovering harmony

By Apriadi Gunawan

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Dewi Recreational Park, some 46 km from Medan in the direction of Sibolangit, Deli Serdang, is a popular holiday destination for families. Easily accessible, this tourist area is noted for its beauty, and cool, fresh mountain air.

For the people of North Sumatra, this five-hectare park is famous for its variety of buildings and monuments, a symbol of religious harmony. These erections -- mosques, Buddhist temples and a statue of Jesus Christ -- reflect the independent characteristics of different religions in their togetherness.

Statues at the site enhance the impression of its activity and beauty. The composition of a monument, vessel and statue of Malin Kundang -- a West Sumatra folklore character -- seem alive in the park. Likewise, when you are in the Semar-Bagong Park, you feel as if you are somewhere in Central Java, the land of wayang shadow puppets.

Dewi Park also houses the four-faced Buddha, a statue specially imported by the owner from Thailand. Aside from the Bhudda statue, the park also boasts a statue of the Eight Immortals (Pak Sen Kwei Hai in the Fujianese dialect), the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy (Kwan Si Im Goddess), the bathing place of legend Jaka Tarub, the Dinosaur Park, pagodas and statues of tribal people in Indonesia.

Apart from its unique recreational values, this tourist spot has many educational facilities. That's why park management provides various facilities for children, such as a swimming pool and a playground.

This park has existed for quite a long time and is the creation of Hasan Hasanuddin (Nee Tjeng Pho San), now aged 60. He began construction of the park as hobby. Hasan loves traveling and has visited a number of regions and countries. One day, Hasan, who is of mixed Chinese-Javanese blood, said he was deep in contemplation at a park in Tretes, East Java. He was greatly impressed by the arrangement of the park and was deeply moved by his awareness of God's greatness.

No sooner had he returned to North Sumatra than he began to look for a plot of land. In 1974 he bought a 5-hectare plot of land which was formerly a forest area in Sibolangit. "The land is suitable for tourism because it is cool," he said. Initially, he did not have any idea of what to build on the plot. He needed divine inspiration; so off he went to Mount Kawi. While there, he thought God had given him the indication he was searching for.

After returning from Mount Kawi, Hasan began constructing Dewi Park in stages. The first facility constructed was the swimming pool. Then he went commenced the construction of other buildings and allowed free rein to his tourism-related ideas.

He linked the construction of his tourist facilities with his self-expression of the grandeur of the Creator. Hence, there a number of buildings reflecting a variety of religions in this park. To maintain the island's association with the beauty of nature, the park also houses casuarina trees and other kinds of flora.

"I'm no architect. I did the construction without thinking how much I had to spend. Where there is a will, I believe, there is a way," said Hasan, who said he had only received Indonesian- Chinese elementary schooling.

Dewi Park was inaugurated by Deli Serdang regent Baharuddin Siregar on March 7, 1977. In 1985, the park hosted a gathering of young Buddhists from across the country. It was then that North Sumatra governor, Kaharuddin Nasution, inaugurated the Mahayana Goddess Temple in the park. Just like the Buddhists, Christians also often conduct religious activities there. Muslims have used the facility for a rapid course of Islamic teaching for youngsters (pesantren kilat).

This park also provides a meeting room with seating capacity for 100 people. In addition, there are also 28 jasmine-rated hotel rooms inside the park. As this park has virtually every facility that a visitor will ever need, it now enjoys high prestige in North Sumatra. No wonder, therefore, the Sahwali Award from the Indonesian Center for Information and Environmental Management was awarded to Hasan Hasanuddin in 1993 and 1997 in Denpasar, Bali.

Hasan's outstanding achievement with his park so impressed the Global Indonesia Foundation and Northern California International University that they were planning on awarding him with an honorary doctorate in 2000. Unfortunately, Hasan simply ignored their invitation, arguing that he did not deserve this honor.

"I have not developed this park out of a wish to be awarded any citation. I have developed this park to show my gratitude to the Indonesian government for financing my schooling," he said.

He explained that he was very keen on helping develop tourism in Deli Serdang. In reality, however, he said the local administration does not seem to assist. He said he had never received any assistance from the local administration and never expected any financial assistance. Even a 100-m road leading to the gate of Dewi Park, for example, is in very poor repair. The road, in fact, is the responsibility of the Deli Serdang regency administration.

"We cannot talk much about tourism in Deli Serdang at present. The local tourism service was not set up until 1998," said Syamsudin Tarigan, head of the tourism, arts and cultural service of Deli Serdang regency.

Hasan Hasanuddin has been disappointed by the lack of support shown by the Deli Serdang regency administration for his endeavors to promote tourism in this area. Regardless, he remains determined to continue developing the park.

"I hope some other businessmen are willing to help develop Dewi Park further. I don't mind letting them control part of my shares," said Hasan, now planning to construct a huge aquarium before the end of 2001.