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Gebang Palace: Selling the nation's heritage
The extended family of the late Soekarno, the man who proclaimed the Republic of Indonesia, is planning to sell Gebang Palace, a home of the former president
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The extended family of the late Soekarno, the man who proclaimed the Republic of Indonesia, is planning to sell Gebang Palace, a home of the former president.
The plans have caused quite a stir; even though the government paid little attention to the home before the matter arose, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has specifically asked Education and Sport Minister Adhyaksa Dault to now deal with the issue.
Gebang Palace in Blitar, East Java, has recently been widely discussed; the historical value of the building and the sale of it together with a 1.5-hectare block of land at 59 Sultan Agung Street.
"I wasn't Soekarno's son but I'm the child of Soekarno's ideology, and I felt I should object to the plan to sell," said Adhyaksa Dault.
The bedroom of Soekarno (photo right), complete with original furniture, can be observed inside the nine-bedroom Gebang Palace in Blitar, East Java.
Soekarno, or Bung Karno as he later came to be known, was born Kusno Sosrodihardjo on June 6, 1901, and grew up in Gebang Palace with his father Soekemi Sosrodihardjo and mother Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai, until he became a teenager.
After Bung Karno, left his home in Blitar, it was occupied by his parents and older sister Soekarmini, together with her husband Puguh and their four children: Sukoyono, Soeyoso, Sukartini and Hari.
Even after becoming the nation's leader, Soekarno would still find the time to visit his family in Blitar.
"As you can see in this photo, Bung Karno visited his mother," said Dhimas Aryo Putro, a great grandchild of Soekarmini who is now a Gebang Palace guard, as he pointed to a photo of Soekarno posing with his mother.
After Soekarno became president, Gebang Palace was often used as a venue to hold political meetings. Meanwhile, the Art Hall, which is located beside the main building, became a place used by artists and other people from the surrounding area.
"Gebang Palace is a house of the people, anyone can enter here," Dhimas said.
When the nation's political climate heated up in 1965 and threatened the position of Bung Karno, Gebang Palace fell silent. Only family members or close friends were brave enough to step inside the compound.
Following Soekarno's death on June 21, 1970, at age 69, Gebang Palace became nothing more than an historical place to visit.
Word of the plan to sell Gebang Palace began to spread in mid-April 2008, after an Internet site advertised the sale of the building.
"The advertisement on that Internet site was ordered by one of Mrs Soekarmini's grandchildren," a source who claimed to be close to Bung Karno told The Jakarta Post.
News of the sale was initially considered as merely gossip; that was until two of Soekarmini's grandchildren, Retno Triani and Bambang Sukaputra, sent a letter to Blitar Mayor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat regarding the sale of Gebang Palace.
The source told the Post many issues had triggered the sale of the building, including the lack of government care for the historical site.
In 2001, the Blitar city government issued a mayoral decree declaring Gebang Palace a cultural site worthy of conservation.
"Although it was considered important, from that point on it wasn't managed properly by the government," said the source, adding government aid was not allocated to the building's upkeep -- funds for maintenance came from voluntary donations.
"Money was only given by the government on the birthday of Bung Karno. But that was 'activity' money, not maintenance money," said the source.
It is evident that Gebang Palace hasn't been given proper care; damage can be seen everywhere. A large painting of Soekarno, torn in sections, has been poorly "repaired" with tape. The building has became a favorite haunt of dating teenagers and drunks at night.
News of the sale of Gebang Palace stung the central government, particularly after the mass media in Jakarta reported a plan by Malaysian businesspeople to buy the nine-room home at the price of Rp 50 billion (US$5.37 million).
The source said President Yudhoyono had asked Adhyaksa Dault to visit the Blitar mayor and hand over a letter objecting to the sale of Gebang Palace.
Adhyaksa, however, disputed this: "There was no letter ... I haven't spoken yet with President Yudhoyono," he told the Post.
The former Head of the Indonesian National Youth Committee plans to hold an event featuring popular artists to raise funds, which would be used to purchase Gebang Palace.
The remaining amount would be handed over to the government to cover the cost of maintaining the building.
"Only the government has the authority to manage (Gebang Palace) due to its historical value," Adhyaksa said.
Blitar Mayor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat said only two of Soekarmini's 11 grandchildren agreed with the plan to sell; Retno Triani, a lecturer at the 17 August University in Jakarta, and Bambang Sukaputra, a doctor from Surabaya.
"I have met with the oldest grandchild (Satria Sukananda, a child from Sukoyono), and I know that the desire to sell is only held by two people," Djarot told the Post.
Djarot said the people of Blitar would work together to halt the sale of Gebang Palace by forming the Gebang Palace Rescue Foundation in Blitar. It is hoped this foundation would open an account for donations that would be used to buy Gebang Palace.
Djarot said he would also ask the land department to not issue ownership transfer documents for Gebang Palace to anyone.
