Public beaches must remain public domain

Public beaches must remain public domain

One particular development scheme is upsetting Yogyakarta's
Sultan Hamengku Buwono X. The project in question involves the
development of Parangtritis Beach on the south coast of
Yogyakarta into a tourist resort complete with hotel, recreation
parks, golf courses and other facilities.

Many aspects of this mega-project have to be considered. One
of them is the special position which Parangtritis occupies in
the minds of the people of Yogyakarta. The beach is linked to the
history of the Yogyakarta sultanate. It is one of three major
points on the same metaphysical axis on which the kraton (royal
court) and Mount Merapi are also located and a number of court
rituals are performed on this beach.

Aside from all this, Parangtritis is one of the most popular
beaches not only for people from Yogyakarta, but also from other
places in Central Java. In this way, the beach provides a source
of income for people living in its surroundings.

It is for these reasons that the Sultan is strongly opposed to
the plan. Let Parangtritis remain a public beach -- not one that
is managed by a privately owned business. The Sultan has offered
an alternative, saying that if a resort is to be built for
tourist development purposes, why not build it on the
comparatively less developed Samas beach?

The entire controversy concerns not only the question of
whether or not a project can be realized at Parangtritis. It also
concerns the question of how to properly approach a beach resort
development scheme. Reality shows that many public beaches over
the years have come under the control of either individuals or
private business. Anyer Beach on the Sunda Strait is an example.
There, the public's interests have been totally neglected.

We hope that beginning with the Parangtritis case the
authorities will place a greater emphasis on the public's needs
rather than those of either private individuals or businesses in
their consideration of projects.

-- Republika, Jakarta