Gus Dur concerned about preserving national culture
Gus Dur concerned about preserving national culture
YOGYAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Friday
night during a Javanese ritual Ruwatan Sukerto in Yogyakarta that
he had asked Sultan Hamengkubuwono X to chair a board which will
deal with the dynamic movement of national culture in facing
modernization and globalization.
"I will establish a board, I haven't got any idea of its name,
that will be responsible for making a frame for dialogue between
the new and local cultures," Abdurrahman said in a ritual to cast
away evil and bad fetish for the nation at the Balairung hall of
the Gajah Mada University (UGM).
"The board will further classify which ones are local, old
cultures and which ones are the new cultures," he added.
The Friday event was chaired by Hariadi Dharmawan of the
Alumni Association of the University of Indonesia as well as
fellow UGM scholars.
"I know that many will protest the appointment of Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X as he is a Javanese King. This board will not
only deal with Javanese culture but all cultures nation-wide.
"For me, the Sultan is the one who can symbolize two
distinctive characters, first as a bureaucrat and second as the
representation of 'culture concern'," he said.
From day to day the country has witnessed strong attacks on
our cultural heritage, he said.
"If we're not careful with the extensive development of IT
(Information Technology), as a nation we can loose everything.
It's not that I'm against the new culture, but I think it has to
be modified with the local custom.
"I know that many will say this is only a waste of money. But
I think the core of the nation's problem is here. Therefore, we
will pay whatever it takes to straighten this up," Abdurrahman
added.
The President jokingly expressed his relief over the
completion of the Annual Session.
"Now the Batara Kala is over as for days I have to hear the
Batara Kala speaking. Well, the MPR Annual Session was the Batara
Kala," he said, raising cheers from the audience.
Batara Kala is a giant in Javanese shadow puppet shows that
symbolizes bad luck. (44/edt)