Kraton festival boosts tourism but fails to help palaces
Kraton festival boosts tourism but fails to help palaces
The week-long National Royal Palace Festival, which involved 20
palaces from all over Indonesia, has just ended. Behind the
glamor of the festival, the kratons are actually facing various
problems, which have yet to be solved. The Jakarta Post
correspondent, R. Fadjri, looks into the matter in the following
article. Photographer IGN Oka B. Yogaswara records this event in
a series of pictures.
SURAKARTA (JP): The court of the Kraton Surakarta suddenly
seemed changed into an arena for the preparation of soldiers
going into the battlefield as some 3,000 people, dressed in
traditional soldier attire, joined a parade marking the opening
of the first National Royal Palace Festival in Surakarta, Central
Java, on July 1, 1995.
The kraton (palace) square, usually frequented by souvenir
vendors and tourists, changed into a sea of colors, from kraton
soldiers' war outfits to the myriad of colors from the flags of
grandeur of each kraton. The troops were armed with 17th century
rifles, keris (dagger), arrows and spears. There were also the
music corps, with drums, flutes and cymbals, as well as the royal
carriages, which were built during the time of the Dutch colonial
government.
Commander of the parade, GBPH Kusumoyudo, son of Sri Susuhan
Pakubuwono XII (king of Kraton Surakarta) presented a dashing
figure, riding a chestnut horse in the foremost rank. The
procession started with soldiers from Yogyakarta's kraton,
followed by a 111-year-old carriage carrying three princes,
including GBPH Prabukusumo, son of the late Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono IX.
On the stage of honor, Coordinating Minister of Industry and
Trade Hartarto, accompanied by Minister of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications Joop Ave and Central Java Governor Soewardi,
smiled while waving his arms in acknowledgement of the
expressions of honor from each rank of kraton troops.
Behind the three government officials, four rulers of palaces
in Java were sitting quietly: Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of the
Yogyakarta kraton, Pakualam VIII of the Pakualam palace in
Yogyakarta, Sri Susuhan Pakubuwono XII of the Surakarta kraton,
and Mangkunegaro IX of the Mangkunegaran palace in Surakarta.
However, there seemed to be something strange in the
expression of the kraton rulers as they watched the parade. There
was not the smallest hint of a smile, or expression of joy on
their faces. There was an impression of royal authority but also
one of being number two in this festival, which involved 20
participating palaces from 13 provinces.
It is noteworthy that the organizer of the festival was the
Central Java Regional Government, not the kraton themselves, as
was the case at the time of the kraton festival in Yogyakarta and
Surakarta in 1991, when only four kraton of Central Java and
Yogyakarta participated. In the current festival the different
kraton were no more than objects, not the subjects.
"I am proud to see the event of the Indonesian kraton
festival," said Hartarto at the opening of the festival.
According to Hartarto, this festival formed a tourism potential
that could play a role of stimulator in development. In this he
is quite right because after the kingdoms lost their political,
social and economic powers, following the establishment of the
Republic of Indonesia, they became centers of local culture only.
Various political upheavals increasingly reduced the position of
the kraton amid the communities of this republic down to a
minimum position, that of a tourism attraction.
Even as a tourist attraction, the continuous life of the
majority of kraton is threatened. Look at the Surakarta kraton.
From the kraton square we see the Pagelaran (performance of
shows) building, which strongly gives the impression of an
ancient, time-worn, dilapidated construction. Its painted wood
does not seem to be the original color and its tin roofs are
rusty. "The kraton has not been renovated since 1950," KRMH
Wreksodipuro, sasonoprabu (household deputy chief), said.
Renovation work, or more precisely, reconstruction had to be
undertaken due to a fire, which destroyed the greater part of the
kraton building in 1985. Even then, not all the kraton buildings
could be reconstructed because there were no funds.
It is understandable that Kraton Surakarta has so far not been
able to reconstruct the remainder of the burned buildings because
it has problems with its overhead costs. "We do not have our own
funds to keep the kraton going," GRAJ Koes Moertiyah, one of the
daughters of Sri Susuhan Pakubuwono XII, said. According to Gusti
Mung, the name by which she is locally known, the government only
allocates Rp 6.7 million a month, which is only sufficient to pay
the salaries of 600 abdi dalem (kraton personnel). Despite these
restraints the Surakarta kraton, as a center of Javanese culture,
is obliged to organize a number of traditional ceremonies, which
need financing. The annual parade to commemorate the Javanese New
Year, for example, needs at least Rp 20 million. For the Sasono
Sewoko ceremonies, which is the opening and closing of the
ceremony building's four pillars, which are shrouded in yellow
cloth, an amount of Rp 75,000 is required to buy offerings.
Chronic
If, subsequently, the kraton was given the responsibility to
conserve and develop culture, the funds for the purpose are also
very limited. For art activities along, expenses run to at least
Rp 20 million annually. "The financial problems of the kraton are
very chronic," Koes Moertiyah said. However, she added that the
kraton is not giving up without a fight. To the best of their
ability, many efforts have been made by the kraton people to meet
its needs. Occasionally some kraton people, who have succeeded in
their businesses in Jakarta have given contributions to the
kraton.
Even, possibly out of despair, Pakubuwono XII allowed the
private sector to set up a hotel in the enclosure of the
Surakarta kraton although the Keputren (royal female quarters)
building had to be demolished to make way for the hotel. This
case was opposed vehemently by Koes Moertiyah, who later got the
nickname of Rebel Princess because she was against her father's
decision.
The same fate befell the Mangkunegaran palace, also located in
Surakarta. "When it rains, the Mangkunegaran palace is no
different from other people's houses, which leak in many places,"
KRMTH Darmo Tirtonoto, the Pengageng Kadipaten Mondroguro
(officer for palace affairs), said. This sorrowful condition is
caused by none other than the minimum funds made available. At
one time, the Mangkunegaran palace could not even pay electricity
bills amounting to Rp 36 million. The government gives monthly
aid of Rp 3 million. Apart from the clearly insufficient amount,
the aid is meant as compensation for the takeover of two sugar
mills, belonging to the Mangkunegaran palace, by the Indonesian
government in 1946: the Colomadu and Tasikmadu sugar mills.
These two companies formed the economic backbone of the
Mangkunegaran palace. Separate from the Surakarta kraton, the
Mangkunegaran palace enjoyed great welfare when it owned the two
sugar mills. "If only the government would return the two sugar
mills, there would be no problem of funds," Darmo Tirtonoto said.
Moreover, Mangkunegaran palace possessions, in the form of houses
and land, were also taken over by the government. However, the
government, through a Presidential Decree dated February 6, 1991,
restored the possessions and paid an indemnity of Rp 3 billion
for the use of them.
The funds were deposited, at an annual interest rate of about
Rp 600 million, on behalf of the Suryosumirat Foundation, a
foundation established by the Mangkunegaran people.
Unfortunately, because of internal conflict occurring between the
foundation and Mangkunegoro IX, funds, which were usually
received by the Mangkunegaran palace from interest received from
the deposits, do not come regularly now.
"Being in possession of the money, they want to arrange
everything," Darmo Tirtonoto said. To this day, the conflict has
remains unsolved.
Efforts were once made to obtain funds through Hotel
Mangkunegaran, which was erected in front of the Mangkunegaran
palace in 1975. But this two-star hotel has not been operational
the last three years, although it has not officially been
declared bankrupt.
If the kratons of Java have undergone such a sad fate, what
about the ones outside Java? The Sultanate of Ternate, has been
converted into a museum, which is managed by the Tourism Office
of the Maluku province. Palace members are appointed as
government officials to manage the palace. However, government
funds remain very minimal. "We have to beg to acquire funds,"
Talabudin Jusuf, one of the palace inhabitants, said.
The Maimun palace, belonging to the Sultan of Deli in Medan,
North Sumatra, also faces similar problems. The former colony of
the Siak Indragiri kingdom gives the appearance of neglected
historical remains. People often see grass growing knee-high in
front of the palace. The palace, which, for the greater part, is
made of wood shows much decay. There are not sufficient funds for
restoration.
Special region
According to M.T. Arifin, an observer of culture, residing in
Surakarta, the current decline of kraton life is related to the
uprooting of the autonomy of the kingdoms at the time of
Indonesia's independence.
The one exception is the kraton of Yogyakarta. Although Sultan
Hamengkubuwono IX did not retain political sovereignty, as a
king, thanks to the political relations of the former ruler of
the Yogyakarta kraton with the national government, Yogyakarta
became a special region led directly by Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX
as governor, and Pakualam VIII as deputy governor, so that,
according to Arifin, the present sad story of kraton life has not
been experienced to a great extent by the kraton of Yogyakarta.
The political relations of the late Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX,
with the national government, which gained its independence in
1945, has made the Yogyakarta kraton, until now, a kraton that is
somewhat exempt from the classical problems of former kingdoms.
Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX succeeded in building economic forces
with a better management of internal conflicts, so that the
available potential can still be put to the advantage of managing
the Yogyakarta kraton.
The Sultan's political role, which saw him in the political
elite, from that of Defense Minister during the Old Order to that
of Vice President during the New Order, has accorded the
Yogyakarta kraton a political image not known by the other
kraton.
This image and "fortune" has been bequeathed to Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X, who had previously been in business and trained
in the political world. It is not yet clear if he can take the
place of his father, as Governor of the Special Region of
Yogyakarta, which was a prerogative of Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX
and Pakualam VIII, but Sultan Hamengkubuwono X did start his
political career from the bottom and is now Chairman I of
Golkar's Regional Leadership Board in Yogyakarta.
In the business world, apart from owning a number of companies
which readily yield profits, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X is chairman
of the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Yogyakarta.
Other kratons did not receive these conditions when they no
longer had political and economic sovereignty of their territory.
In Dutch colonial times, despite the limitation of the
sovereignty, each kraton, with its political and economic
authority, still managed to meet its requirements. For example,
Mangkunegoro I established Pasar Legi, also known as Pasar
Pamutihan, a market for Chinese traders, on the condition that
they gave financial aid to the cultural and religious institutes
in the Mangkunegaran circle.
With the revocation of their autonomous status, and many
kraton assets taken over by the government, the kratons have lost
everything. Although the kratons have finally been conserved,
without economic access, they cannot possibly carry out their
remaining functions.
However, Arifin said, continuous injection of funds would not
be educational. "The kraton should not be given fish but fishing
gear," he added. This can be done by returning kraton assets, now
in government hands, as has been done with the Mangkunegaran
palace, or by giving the kraton prospective company shares.
Nevertheless, all those gifts are of no avail if the kraton do
not take care of themselves, with special attention given to a
change in the mental attitude of kraton members. Because, Arifin
said, the Mangkunegaran palace case has proven that although the
palace has regained its rights and obtained fresh funds from the
government, internal conflicts, as a result of intergroup
rivalries, have brought chaos to kraton life.
Also the community has started changing its opinion of the
kraton, not only because of the weak economy of the kraton, but
also because of improper behavior by some kraton members. During
the Kraton Festival, for example, a member of the Surakarta royal
family scolded an employee with rude words, in front of kraton
visitors. According to Arifin, such behavior has more or less
reduced the kraton charisma.
The kraton must change and must be more clever in facing
present challenges. Otherwise the kraton will become a memory of
the past. There will be no need for Gusti Mung to say, "My heart
breaks to see representatives of kraton throughout the country
come to Surakarta with the sole purpose of showing that they
still exist." This was a statement of despair and frustration,
from a palace member, seeing the sad fate of a culture threatened
with extinction.