MPR Deputy Speaker: Batujaya Site Proof of Indonesia's Noble Civilisation

Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat, known as Rerie, has stated that the Batujaya Site in Karawang, West Java, is not merely an ancient heritage area. The site is proof that Indonesia has possessed a civilisation with noble values for centuries. “Batujaya is not just a site; it is a witness to how communities lived side by side in the past, coexisting in diversity,” Rerie said in a written statement on Saturday (13/6/2026). Rerie revealed that the temple complex at Batujaya, which is a Buddhist temple, dates back to the 5th century, making it far older than Borobudur Temple (8th century). During the same period, Hindu kingdoms began to emerge. Yet, adherents of both religions were able to live side by side. “This is where there is actually a lesson that the value of tolerance has been alive and rooted for centuries in the archipelago,” Rerie stated. She added that the four national pillars—Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika—did not emerge in a vacuum. “These Four National Pillars emerged from the long journey of this nation. Various great ideas met, which then shaped us into one nation. The historical relics in Batujaya are an important part of that historical journey,” she asserted. Rerie, who is also a member of House Commission X, cautioned that without an understanding of historical values, the Indonesian nation would lose its direction. Without a strong culture, the nation would be easily uprooted from its foundations. On that occasion, Rerie expressed her appreciation to the archaeology students from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Indonesia who are conducting excavations at Batujaya. “What you are all doing is a national endeavour. A job that digs up the past, not just as objects to be displayed, but for the many values contained within them,” she said. Rerie advised the aspiring archaeologists to become guardians of the nation’s memory. In the current digital era, the NasDem Party High Council member acknowledged a major challenge in the form of pseudo-archaeology, consisting of fabricated stories that are rampant in society. According to Rerie, collaboration from all parties is needed so that the nation can answer the various historical challenges that arise today and in the future. “It is the duty of all of us to show and understand that existing cultural heritage, such as the historical relics at the Batujaya Site, is part of the history of this nation’s civilisation with the noble values contained within it, which are important for building the character of the nation’s future generations,” she stressed. She made all these remarks at the MPR RI’s Actual Forum Discussion on Nation and State themed ‘Batujaya: Heritage of Civilisation and National Identity’, held at the Batujaya Temple complex area in Karawang, West Java, on Friday afternoon (12/6). Among those present at the event were Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Saan Mustopa, Deputy Regent of Karawang H. Maslani, Deputy Speaker of the Karawang Regional House of Representatives Dian Fahrud Jaman, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Indonesia Dr. Untung Yuwono, Head of the West Java Region Cultural Preservation Centre Retno Raswaty, Head of the Archaeology Department at FIB UI Prof. Cecep Eka Permana, and Head of the UI Archaeology Study Programme Dr. Ghilman Assilmi. This activity was organised together with students from the Archaeology Study Programme at FIB UI who are currently conducting field lectures and excavation practice in the Batujaya Site area, Karawang, West Java. A total of 90 students participated in this activity as part of the direct learning process regarding archaeology, history, culture, and the preservation of national heritage.