Groups urged to get angry to save history sites

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Organizations promoting the appreciation of Jakarta's historic buildings are experiencing a rise in popularity, attracting Jakartans who want to know more about the city's history.

However, much of the growth has been focused on the commercialization of historical sites without adequate advocacy for their preservation, antiquity enthusiast and journalist Pradaningrum Mijarto said Sunday.

"Many of (the groups) are becoming more like a money-seeking travel agents than historical groups," she said.

Historia Community, Sahabat Museum (Friends of the Museum), Jakarta Walks, and Jelajah Budaya are some of the groups involved aimed at building appreciation of the city's heritage.

These groups run tours such as Historia Community's Jakarta Trails and Sahabat Museum's Jelajah Kota Tua program.

"It's good to increase people's interest in history and the old buildings by taking them on tours. However, (the groups) should also help preserve the sites through advocacy work," Pradaningrum said.

As an example, she pointed to last December's recent discovery of a section of tram tracks, timber poles, terra cotta pipes, and a wall dating from to the Dutch colonial era during the construction of the western entrance of a pedestrian tunnel in front of the Bank Mandiri Museum in Jakarta's old city of Kota.

A number of coins and clay pots dating from the 19th century were also found separately in the area. The tram line serving the Kota-Jatinegara route was the city's transportation backbone until it was dismantled in the 1960s.

"No one voiced concern over the discovery and (called for) its preservation," she said.

A preliminary archaeological study is required before construction can be carried out in the old city. However, no archaeological study was done for the tunnel project.

"When this surfaced in public, the (historical appreciation) groups didn't voice their concerns," Pradaningrum said.

"They should have (complained) because they're getting money from these sites. It wouldn't be as fun for the tour groups to hear: `There used to be a historical site here'," she said.

In response, the Founder of Historia Community, Asep Kambali, said his community's mission was to increase public awareness of the importance of understanding history.

"We're not on the advocacy level because we're focused on introducing the sites to people first. We're also volunteer-based and all of us have day jobs, so we don't have that much spare time."