Historian a voice for preservation cause

Historian a voice for preservation cause

Ida Indawati Khouw, Contributor, Jakarta

Adolf Heuken always has the same thing to say when we meet each
other: The capital's government, especially the Development
Control Agency (P2K), is doing a shoddy job in protecting
Jakarta's heritage.

"P2K is brengsek (lousy)," the German Jesuit priest and author
of numerous books on the history and heritage of the capital said
in a shrill tone.

Now, the complaint concerns his beloved Menteng, an area
protected under a 1975 gubernatorial decree. It was the first
housing complex built in the early 1900s by the Dutch colonial
government. It has been his home for the past 30 years.

Heuken persistently voices the need for enforcement of the law
on Menteng as a protected area as it houses unique architectural
styles which are being obliterated by the push for more modern
structures.

P2K is the city agency that has the authority to control
development in the city, but, in his eyes, the agency is not
doing its job. Worse, he alleges there are parties in the agency
who are contributing to Menteng's deterioration.

"If the agency's officials were not greedy for money and
really enforced the law, namely did not issue permits for the
demolition of buildings, the condition would not be as poor as it
is at present. I see old houses disappear one by one each week.
The practice usually starts with neglecting the buildings until
they reach a stage of disrepair to make way for their demolition
with a permit from P2K."

Heuken estimated that only 30 percent of the old buildings in
the area were still preserved.

The 73 year old has no hope that the city administration will
save Menteng from further deterioration. According to him, the
only way is through a movement involving the residents
themselves, focusing on raising their awareness of regulations
about Menteng as a preservation area so that the residents can
monitor their own area.

The efforts are now exerted by Warga Peduli Bangunan Tua
(Concerned Citizens for Old Buildings), an informal forum that
watches over the city's heritage.

His "complaints" regarding the poor condition of the heritage
of the city as a whole come through in his works on Jakarta,
namely the Historical Sites of Jakarta, Menteng Kota Taman
Pertama di Indonesia (Menteng, the First Garden City in
Indonesia) Galangan Kapal Batavia Selama Tiga Ratus Tahun (Three
Hundred Years of Batavia Shipyards) and three volumes of Sumber-
Sumber Asli Sejarah Jakarta (the Original Sources of the History
of Jakarta).

Indeed, his name is always mentioned by people who are doing
research on Jakarta's history. He is especially proud of his
little library of two cupboards full of sources related to the
city history.

"It is the most complete library on Jakarta's history here,"
he said, and he worries about what will happen to it when he
dies.

"I know the library will be owned by the Jesuit Order but I
don't know whether the books will be well maintained."

Heuken experienced difficulties in finding sources and data
here when conducting research for his books.

"I had to deal with employees with poor professionalism, such
as when searching for books at the National Library. Many times
the employees couldn't find books that were even listed in the
catalog."

Heuken instead relied on his network abroad so that he could
publish his books.

"I make use of my network abroad to get the necessary data,
such as asking help from my family in Germany and Portugal and
writing letters to libraries in Europe and other places," he
said.

The special field of study of the oldest of eight children of
elementary school teacher Franz Heuken and his wife Clara was
philosophy and theology, but he always harbored a great interest
in history.

"I am always curious about the history of the places I visit.
Regarding Jakarta, I get annoyed every time I read publications
on the history that mostly tell more about tales; they lack
data," said the founder of Cipta Loka Caraka Catholic foundation
which focuses on moral education.

Jakarta's history is just one of his fields of expertise.
Heuken is also a prolific writer of books in several fields of
study, such as moral education and Christian spirituality. He is
also the author of several encyclopedia, a German-Indonesian
dictionary, as well as being a translator.

If all of his works were arranged in line, it would reach
three meters in length! It promises to get even longer. He is
still busy writing several books, including one about houses of
worship in Jakarta -- mosques, churches and Chinese temples --
about the history of the Catholic mission in the archipelago
before the Dutch era, Christianity in Indonesia, spirituality and
the story of battling cancer.