State stands to lose Sukarno's historic house
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.