State stands to lose Sukarno's historic house
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An official from the National Library revealed on Thursday that the state might lose a house of historical value belonging to Indonesia's first president Sukarno, if it failed to acquire the building which is now up for sale.
Deputy head of the National Library Soengkowo Rahardjo told members of the House of Representatives Commission VI on education that the family of the late Hartini -- the third wife of Sukarno -- had decided to sell the house on Jl. A. Yani, Bogor, West Java, given the high maintenance costs.
"The family of Ibu Hartini is offering the house for Rp 15 billion (US$1.7 million) and already there is a private company that has offered to buy it for Rp 10 billion," he said, without naming the company.
Soengkowo said that so far there was nothing the National Library could do, as the building is not listed as a national heritage.
"Prominent members of the Sukarno family don't seem to notice that this house exists, neither does the local administration," he said.
He said the house was home to a number of priceless paintings, valuable furniture, important documents and books collected by the late president Sukarno.
"Apart from the valuables, the building itself and a bungalow on a nearby location are of great historical value," the official said.
To prevent the building from falling into the hands of private parties, Soengkowo called on lawmakers to elevate the house's status and make it a national heritage.
"The House, the National Library, the Office of the State Minister for Tourism and Culture should immediately seek a dialog (with the Sukarno family) to decide the status of the building," he added.
The house is located near the Batutulis Palace which is often frequented by a daughter of Soekarno, the incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Earlier in the meeting, Soengkowo, revealed the library's plan to insure 10,000 old manuscripts, some of which date back to the 13th century.
"The old manuscripts, such as the Sutasoma and Negara Kertagama, are considered a world cultural heritage and have been exhibited in a number of places around the world. The insurance scheme will protect their value, should there be mishaps during transportation to other countries," Soengkowo said.
He said that insuring the old manuscripts would give a sense of security to the government, although it would not bring them back in case of theft.
"We will submit a proposal for insurance scheme to the Directorate General of Budget at the finance ministry soon," Soengkowo said.