Royal conflict in Surakarta shows no signs of cooling down
Royal conflict in Surakarta shows no signs of cooling down
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post/Surakarta
The unseemly succession dispute that has plagued the Surakarta
Hadiningrat Palace in Surakarta since last year is showing no
sign of cooling down.
The conflict, which was sparked by the failure of Surakarta
Sultan Pakoeboewono XII, who died on June 11 last year, to name a
successor, pits two rival princes -- His Highness Kanjeng Gusti
Pangeran Haryo Hangabehi and His Highness Tedjowulan -- against
each other, with each claiming to be the rightful head of the
princely house.
On Friday, for instance, Tedjowulan's followers were prevented
from entering the palace by Hangabehi's supporters.
On that day, Princess Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Alit, the late
sultan's eldest daughter and Pengageng Gedhong Pusaka (keeper of
the palace heirlooms), arrived at the palace to check on the
condition of the princely family's heirlooms.
"I just wanted to see what sort of condition the palace
heirlooms were in and to take an inventory of them," Ratu Alit
said.
She said she was worried that the conflict could result in the
heirlooms not being properly guarded.
"Besides, it wouldn't be unusual for heirlooms to go missing
or be replaced by replicas. That's why I want to check the
heirlooms for myself as I'm the one authorized by the late sultan
to take care of them," Ratu Alit said.
But Ratu Alit was unceremoniously turned away from the palace
door and in the end had to return to Tedjowulan's official
residence, some four kilometers away from the main palace
complex,
As things stand, Tedjowulan has possession of the keys to the
palace's treasure room, which contains the family heirlooms,
while the palace is occupied by Hangabehi, although he does not
have access to the treasure room.
A relative of the late sultan, who requested anonymity, said
that two of the palace's kris (ceremonial daggers), had been sold
three months after the late sultan died.
"The two kris were sold for Rp 600 million," he said, without
giving details of those involved in the deal.
Responding to the allegation, the head of the Surakarta
Palace's legal affairs section, KPH Edi WIrabhumi, who is also
the late sultan's son-in-law, demanded that the source report the
incident to the police.
"All down the ages, many people have sold heirlooms, but in
this case, which heirlooms were sold? If they were personal
belongings, then there should be no problem," Edi said on Sunday.
Apart from Ratu Alit, four other palace personages are
permitted to enter the treasure room, but since the conflict
erupted, Ratu Alit, a supporter of Tedjowulan, has keep the key
firmly in her grasp.
Various efforts have been made, both by the local government
and political figures, to bring the rival camps to the table, but
Hangabehi and his followers have refused to budge, while
Tedjowulan is pursuing legal action to legitimize his claim.
Regarding the palace heirlooms, Hangabehi claimed that he had
sent three invitations to Ratu Alit and Tedjowulan's supporters
so that a joint inventory of the heirlooms could be taken.
Edi Wirabhumi said the two rival groups could meet to set up a
joint team to take an inventory. "The team would include
representatives from the police and the archeological agency," he
said.
But Tedjowulan's supporters had failed to respond to the
invitations, he said.
"We already have a list of the palace heirlooms so there's no
need to set up a team. What we want is an opportunity to check
whether all the heirlooms are intact as listed," Ratu Alit said.