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Thousands bid farewell to Yogyakarta, Pakualaman leader
Thousands of mourners gathered on Sunday at Pura Pakualaman Palace in Yogyakarta to bid a last farewell to Yogyakarta deputy governor and Pakualaman royal family leader Paku Alam IX, who passed away on Saturday due to illness
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housands of mourners gathered on Sunday at Pura Pakualaman Palace in Yogyakarta to bid a last farewell to Yogyakarta deputy governor and Pakualaman royal family leader Paku Alam IX, who passed away on Saturday due to illness.
On Sunday morning, family members, government officials and local residents flocked to the palace's Sewotomo hall, where the body of the deceased lay temporarily prior to burial, to pay their last respects to Paku Alam IX, who died aged 77.
Among the mourners was Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and former vice president Boediono.
'The deceased had worked relentlessly to develop and maintain a [provincial] administration that [upholds] local identity,' Tjahjo said in his remarks on behalf of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
Shortly after midday, the body of Paku Alam IX was transported to the Astana Girigondo family cemetery compound in Kulon Progo regency, where he was laid to rest.
Paku Alam IX passed away on Saturday at 3:10 p.m., having received several days of intensive medical treatment at Yogyakarta's Dr. Sardjito Hospital in the days prior.
KRMT Roy Suryo, a Pakualaman family member, said Paku Alam IX passed away due to declining health conditions triggered by old age.
Pakualaman is a small autonomous kingdom, whose royal authority is related to that of the Yogyakarta Sultanate, currently led by Hamengkubuwono X.
Pakualaman was founded in 1813 by Paku Alam I, almost 60 years after his father, Hamengkubuwono I, founded the Yogyakarta Sultanate.
After a conflict with his brother, Hamengkubuwono II, Paku Alam I received support from British rulers to establish Pakualaman, whose territory covers the district of Pakualaman in Yogyakarta and some areas in Kulon Progo.
Soon after Indonesia declared independence in 1945, Yogyakarta's king Hamengkubuwono IX and the Pakualaman leader Paku Alam VIII announced their allegiance to the newly established country. Both agreed to jointly maintain Yogyakarta under the newly formed Indonesian government but with a special region status.
In 1950, the government formalized Yogyakarta's special region status, granting leadership of the province to the Yogyakarta Sultan, who served as governor with the Duke of Pakualaman serving as deputy governor.
Born in 1938, Paku Alam IX, whose real name is Ambarkusumo, took over the Pakualaman leadership role in 1999, after his father, Paku Alam VIII, passed away. He was later inaugurated as Yogyakarta deputy governor in 2003.
Paku Alam IX was known for his long-standing effort to improve Yogyakarta's tourism sector, including pushing the development of tourist villages in the province, many of which are now listed among the country's most popular tourist destinations.
'Paku Alam IX had an idea to bring tourists closer to local communities, exploring areas other than the city center. This idea became an embrio for the development of tourist villages in Yogyakarta,' the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association's (PHRI) Yogyakarta chapter head Deddy Pranowo Eryono said.
