T

here is no light at the end of the tunnel for a power struggle that has plagued the Surakarta sultanate in Central Java for years.

In the latest twist, the Panca Narendra task force – a team created by Sultan Paku Buwono XIII Hangabehi – forcibly entered the palace on Sunday to disassemble a fence that had physically and symbolically separated conflicting parties within the palace, namely the sultan and members of the Customary Council.

The barrier worked to separate two areas: Langen Katong, controlled by the Customary Council; and Sasono Hadi, where the sultan resides.

The sultan’s sons and daughters, including GKR Wandansari (Gusti Moeng) and acting Paku Buwono XIII, watched the dismantlement with Surakarta Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ribut Hari Wibowo and the commander of Surakarta Military District 0735, Lt. Col. Inf. Edwin Apria Candra.

The task force began its work at 12 p.m. and two hours later managed to create a narrow opening that now connects the royal residence and Ndalem Ageng Prabasuyasa, which is the palace’s main building and the center of all sultanate activities.

Ribut said the police would next attempt mediation for the two conflicting camps.

“We will try to solve the conflict in a peaceful way,” he added.

On Tuesday, representatives of both parties reportedly met to end the dispute at a military building next to the palace.

The conflict between Paku Buwono XIII and his Customary Council began in 2013 after the sultan allegedly ignored the council’s recommendations during a reconciliation process with his brother, KGPH Panembahan Agung Tedjowulan, who challenged his legitimacy as ruler in 2004. The council, chaired by Gusti Moeng, stripped Pakubuwono XIII of his title and installed GPH Puger as acting sultan.

The Panca Narendra task force was ordered to dismantle the fence because the sultan had intended to stage a ceremony commemorating his coronation, which took place in the area controlled by the Customary Council.

The council had strongly rejected the plan.

The Surakarta Police have issued a circular concerning crimes against public order in an effort to ensure security and order within the palace area. The circular orders all parties to abide by Article 160 of the Criminal Code, which sanctions anyone found to have provoked the public, either verbally or in writing, to commit a crime.

The 2011 Cultural Heritage Law, meanwhile, declares acts of changing the function of a heritage area, changing its ownership, and stealing from a heritage area as criminal offenses.

“We will strictly punish violators of the edict. We have printed as many as 1,000 sheets of the edict and displayed them all over the city, including inside the palace area,” said Ribut.

Eddy Wirabhumi, executive chairman of the palace’s legal unit, said the dismantlement violated a 2013 agreement between Paku Buwono XIII and Gusti Moeng.

According to the agreement, the fence was erected as a barricade between the sultan’s residence and Sasana Narendra. It also stipulates that conflicts cannot be settled by parties outside of the sultanate.

“The palace does not belong to a ruler, it belongs to the dynasty. The conflict can only be solved through steps mandated by tradition,” he emphasized.