Sustainable conservation: Challenge for RI

M. Henaldy, Activist at Jogja Heritage Society
didiet69@yahoo.com

The sun is almost set in the cozy, green area of Sagan in Yogyakarta. People start to light a set of small bamboo torches, creating a mosaic of lights in the front yard of an old building constructed in the Indische Empire style that has been transformed into an exclusive restaurant.

While you sit here sipping a cup of hot coffee, you can easily feel the romantic ambience of bygone days.

It is perhaps difficult to understand that such an old and exotic place can still exist today. Thanks to the concern of many people, many cultural heritage buildings here have been preserved and given new commercial functions, such as serving as boutiques and furniture galleries, gift centers and restaurants.

It is said that a great nation will always maintain its heritage so that its younger generation could trace its past glories and learn from its catastrophes.

Unfortunately, the idea of conserving cultural heritage in Indonesia is still considered strange. Many people still perceive heritage conservation as a non-profit activity which will not generate any form of income to any of those involved -- something that is only feasible with the assistance of aid or grants.

In fact, through careful planning and management, conservation can help improve well-being. Therefore, it is a challenge for Indonesia to create a conservation program that can produce economic benefit for all the participants.

Economic development that committed to the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage should involve all stakeholders, including local people, government, the private sector, non- governmental organizations, financial institutions, public figures and the media.

There are numerous examples of successful heritage conservation projects elsewhere. In Singapore, the legendary Raffles hotel, which has witnessed the transformation of the island into a modern city state, has become a tourist site without sacrificing any of the historical value inherent in the building.

Should the country's tourism board have failed to convince everyone about the significance of the building, which was opened to the public for the first time in 1887, the hotel could well have become just a footnote to history.

In Bangkok, there is the "House on The Klong", the former residence of Jim Thompson, an architect and American businessman who brought Thai's traditional silks to international prominence.

This traditional Thai house, built in the 1950s, is now a must-see tourist attraction.

These and other successful conservation efforts worldwide should provide inspiration for Indonesians, for they prove that cultural heritage conservation, if managed seriously and in a professional way, can be economically sustainable. And yes, fame and prestige are two of its beneficial side effects.

Compared to Thailand and Singapore, Indonesia is more richer in cultural and natural heritage, both tangible (such as buildings, traditional costumes, etc.) and intangible (such as languages, folklore, etc.), including the country's soaring mountains, and its historic cities, traditional industries, old factories, villages, temples, islands and even the sea itself.

Our opportunity and challenge, then, is to develop a heritage conservation program that will contribute to the economic development of this country in a synergistic manner that results in mutual benefit for all stakeholders.

The heritage community in the historic city of Yogyakarta has started this effort at a number of sites, including Sagan, Kotagede, Taman Sari, Tembi village and Njeron Beteng. The community wants to see Indonesia one day being recognized as a "great nation" for its success in heritage conservation.

With hard work and perseverance, we believe our dream will come true.

It is for the same reason that the Jogja Heritage Society (JHS), The Jakarta Post, Gadjah Mada University's School of Engineering's Center for Heritage Conservation, the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Studies (Inspect), P.D. Tarumartani, and the Indonesian Network for Heritage Conservation (JPPI) is organizing a panel discussion on heritage conservation and economic development.

To be held in the Novotel Hotel's ballroom on April 28, the panel discussion, which will also mark the Post's 21st anniversary and World Heritage Day, will feature economist Prof. Dr. A.R. Karseno of Gadjah Mada University, Dr. Ir. Laretna T. Adishakti, M.Arch of the JPPI, and Bimo N. Wartono of P.D. Tarumartani as speakers.

It is hoped that through this panel discussion, various thoughts and ideas on the problems involved in heritage conservation and economic development will be put forward, and thus enrich the concept and implementation of the program.