Guess What? Marzuki Usman

Guess What? Marzuki Usman

Could Indonesia one day lose its famed cultural heritage of Javanese shadow puppetry (wayang) and learn the art from Westerners?

Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture Marzuki Usman says he is afraid it could happen.

His assumption is based on Indonesia's lack of means to innovate and promote its cultural riches.

If this situation persists, the innovation and promotion will be taken over by bule (white people), he said on Monday when addressing the launching of economic magazine Investor in Jakarta.

"Wouldn't it be funny to see a wayang show with the puppetmaster and singers imported from Australia?" he said as quoted by Antara.

The Capital Market Supervisory Agency's former chief, who remains a keen observer of the stock market, is also dismayed by the plunging share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange.

"I never imagined that shares could be cheaper than alen- alen," he said. Alen-alen is food made from cassava, a typical delicacy of Yogyakarta, where the minister studied economics at Gadjah Mada University.

"It's appalling, but let's promote our culture and work hard to improve share prices." (pan)