Incentives needed to preserve heritage: NGOs

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Heritage activists have strongly urged the government to give incentives to individuals and institutions helping presever the country's cultural and historical heritage.

The suggestion was made at a recent discussion in Yogyakarta organized by the Jogja Heritage Society in cooperation with other related government and non-government organizations.

Attended by local heritage activists, lawmakers, government officials and other stakeholders, the meeting announced the latest list of Yogyakarta province's protected heritage buildings and sites.

Ari Setyastuti of the Yogyakarta Provincial Heritage Conservation Office announced that 28 more heritage buildings and sites had been added to the province's 12 existing protected sites.

"With that we now have 40 cultural heritage buildings and sites to preserve and protect," said Ari.

Among those on the new list include Tugu landmark Mataram Kuno Mosque in Kotagede, Santo Yusup Catholic Church in Bintaran, Marga Mulya Protestant Church, and Buddha Prabha Temple in Gondomanan.

On the original list are Benteng Vrederburg, Ratu Boko, Kalasan Temple, Ijo Temple, Tamansari Water Castle, Sambisari site, Banyunibo Temple, and Prambanan Temple.

Ari who is head of the conservation office's working group on protection, however, said that the preservation of the protected cultural heritages had mainly only be conducted by the government.

"The community's rights and obligation to participate in the preservation of its cultural heritage are unbalanced," she said.

She said the community had struggled to obtain property tax exemptions for cultural heritage buildings, but had failed.

She said such incentives contributed greatly to the success of a preservation activity especially when it came to privately owned protected cultural heritage buildings or sites.

Other speakers concurred, saying that such incentives were important because many of the province's heritage buildings are often owned by individuals or institutions that had little money.

"A tax exemption would not just make preservation efforts a bit easier to afford but as well attract more people to actively participate in the efforts," lawyer Henny Astiyanto of the Bonang Foundation advocacy body said.

"It would even be much better if such incentives were also given for the preservation of non-protected heritage sites," said Ari, adding that there were hundreds of cultural buildings and sites on the conservation office's list that were waiting for a ministerial decree for further preservation and protection.

Ari also said that no less important in the preservation of cultural heritage was the implementation of a community-based heritage conservation approach.

Such an approach, she said, would enable the community to know more about their cultural heritage, how to develop and make use of it, and how to appreciate and fully understand it for the benefit of their material and spiritual wealth.

"There has been a misleading understanding among the wider community that once a building or site is declared a protected heritage, they are not allowed to do anything with it. This is not true. And it's our task to change this perception," Ari said.