Number of Cultural Heritage Expert Teams Still Minimal

The General Chair of the Indonesian Archaeologists Association, Marsis Sutopo, stated that the number of Cultural Heritage Expert Teams (TACB) remains minimal, despite their central role in the registration, assessment, and designation of cultural heritage. Based on data gathered from 38 provinces in Indonesia, only seven provinces have active TACBs. “Out of 545 regencies and cities, 424 have established a TACB, but only around 53 regencies/cities have an active one,” Marsis said following a Public Hearing Meeting of the House of Representatives’ Working Committee on the protection and utilisation of cultural heritage in Jakarta on Thursday, 2 July 2026.

According to Marsis, this situation has slowed the process of designating cultural heritage in the regions. He stressed that all TACB members must also possess a competency certificate issued by the Professional Certification Institute under the Ministry of Culture to maintain the quality of assessments. With strengthened institutions, expert competency, and support from regional governments, the process of cultural heritage preservation is expected to run more effectively and provide legal certainty for all stakeholders.

The Chair of the Indonesian Anthropology Association, Suraya Afiff, said the issue of cultural heritage experts remains one of the main obstacles to the protection and utilisation of cultural heritage in Indonesia. She argued that cultural heritage experts must be selected based on competency, not proximity to certain parties. The credibility of the expert team is a crucial factor in determining an object’s status as cultural heritage. “It must not be based merely on connections, but on professionalism. Aspects of subjectivity and transparency in the designation process must also be strengthened,” Suraya stated. In several regions, she noted, designations or revocations of cultural heritage status still occur without a clear basis or mechanism. Therefore, regulations concerning the formation and work of Cultural Heritage Expert Teams need to be reinforced to ensure they are filled by professionals with expertise in their respective fields.

Culture Minister Fadli Zon designated 430 objects as new national-level cultural heritage. These 430 objects were selected from 876 proposals. The hundreds of objects represent the initial phase of the Ministry of Culture’s target of 1,750 designations in 2026. “Hopefully, our cultural heritage designations will reach more than 2,000,” Fadli said during a press conference in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on 19 May 2026. Fadli mentioned several objects, such as repatriated items, inscriptions at the National Museum of Indonesia, and temples that had not yet been designated as cultural heritage despite being extraordinary legacies. With these new designations, the total number of National-Level Cultural Heritage objects now stands at 743. Among the 430 designated objects are four masterpiece collections of Homo Erectus Sangiran skulls and bones from the Eugene Dubois collection repatriated from the Netherlands; the Metanduno Cave in Muna, Southeast Sulawesi, which holds ancient human handprint paintings; the Muara Takus Temple Complex in Kampar Regency, Riau Province; the Great Mosque of Banten in Serang, Banten; the Ancient Mosque of Palopo in South Sulawesi; the Bank Indonesia Building in Banda Aceh; 335 collections returned from the 1894 Lombok War booty; the Rante Pallawa Site in North Toraja; the Canggal Inscription at the National Museum of Indonesia; and the Cogan Regalia of the Riau-Lingga Kingdom at the National Museum of Indonesia.