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.