Taman Mini will likely survive longer than Soeharto's regime

Evi Mariani The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

"And, in a bid to form a powerful regime that governs all the nation, and all of Indonesia's resources -- as well as upholds personal pride and renders the nation destitute -- the Harapan Kita Foundation declares open Taman Mini Indonesia Indah."

This parody of the last paragraph of the 1945 Constitution's preamble appeared in 1972 in a student newspaper, Sendi, in Yogyakarta. The newspaper was protesting the first lady's (the late Tien Soeharto) plan to build the Rp 10.5 billion Taman Mini.

"We thought the Taman Mini project was too ambitious. On top of that, the fact that the foundation was presided over by the wife of the president was questionable," Daniel Dhakidae, then one of the editors of the weekly Sendi, told The Jakarta Post at his office last Wednesday. On April 20, Taman Mini marked its 30th anniversary.

Because of the parody, the weekly was banned by the government. On top of that, the chief editor, Ashadi Siregar, stood trial for "insulting the state ideology".

More than 30 years have passed and now about a quarter of the nation's population have visited Taman Mini at least once, and no doubt enjoyed themselves.

Boasting 24 major attractions including the famous Keong Emas Imax Theater and 26 other sites that represent the culture of each province in the archipelago, the park has developed from 100 hectares to 150 hectares, and has received about 100 million visitors since April 20, 1975.

Yet, only a few people remember the controversy of more than 30 years ago. Fewer people still see the park as one of the legacies of Soeharto's empire.

Taman Mini comes as something of a surprise for anyone aware of the official take on the park: that it promotes a national identity that embraces all the cultures of Indonesia. In fact, it is more like a park under Javanese management that explores the nation's "other" cultures.

The management has, for instance, used Javanese or Sanskrit for the building's names, like "Sasono Langen Budoyo".

And, the 30th anniversary was celebrated with a performance of Javanese wayang kulit (leather puppet), instead of presenting performances from other cultures.

The family has also inserted a little bit of themselves in the park, but no one raises a protest. Museum Purna Bhakti Pertiwi, popularly known as Museum Soeharto, houses the family's collection of gifts from friends all over the world.

The management is also planning to establish a Jasmine Garden this year. Most Indonesians know that jasmine was Ibu Tien's favorite flower, also pronounced as the national flower.

Soeharto, who resides in the upmarket Menteng area in Central Jakarta, continues to go to the At-Tien Mosque in the Taman Mini compound for Friday prayers every so often. Some people even say they saw the healthy Soeharto among the dignitaries attending the park's 30th anniversary ceremony.

With so many flaws and its awkward place in history, today the park is being recognized as "the people's park" because of its affordable ticket prices, compared to other attractions in Jakarta like Ancol Dreamland.

To get into Taman Mini, a visitor has to pay an average of Rp 8,000 (88 U.S. cents) while to get into Sea World in Ancol, for example, one has to pay Rp 25,000.

Clearly, although the number of visitors to Taman Mini is quite high, to be profitable and thus sustainable, the park cannot depend on ticket revenue alone.

"Profit, deficit is relative. We are here to achieve social and educational missions," Markoes Legimin, the head of public relations at Taman Mini said on Wednesday.

Indeed, Taman Mini has a number of educational museums like the Science and Technology Center, Insect Museum and Transportation Museum.

"For the museum, we cooperate with ministries. For example, the science museum is financed by the office of the State Minister of Research and Technology," he said.

"As for the provincial sites, we cooperate with provincial administrations. The foundation provided the land, but each administration is responsible for the construction, the maintenance and the management of the respective site," Markoes added.

The provincial administrations have pitched in some money since Taman Mini was but a dream on paper.

In early December 1971, the then first lady gave a speech in the Jakarta administration's office, saying inspired by Disneyland, she wanted to build the "Miniature of Indonesia". She also instructed governors to raise Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million each from businesspeople in their provinces.

However, to date, the public does not know how the Harapan Kita Foundation financially manages Taman Mini.

How much profit do they take from the business? Nobody, except the management, knows.

However, what is important now is that the park has done its bit, providing an affordable recreational place for lots of people.

And, above all, we should probably leave some of the old bapak's good memories intact.