11 februari 2009 04:05

Jakarta Earmarks Rp 12.5bn For Museum Makeovers

The Museum Of Jakarta’s History Is To Be Renovated Soon

Jakarta - The Jakarta City administration had allocated Rp 12.5 billion ($1.1 million) for the renovation of three of the city’s eight museums, the city’s Culture and Tourism Agency said on Tuesday.

Arie Budiman, the head of the agency, said that facilities in the Textile Museum, the MH Thamrin Museum and the Joang 45 Museum were all due for renovation. But he added that the changes would not alter the original architecture of the buildings, which were constructed during the Dutch colonial era.

Arie did not specify a timeline for the renovation, but assured it would be carried out this year.

The Textile Museum and the Joang 45 Museum would receive Rp 5 billion each, while the MH Thamrin Museum would get Rp 2.5 billion, Arie said.

The five other museums being supervised by the city administration are: the Jakarta History Museum, the Prasati Museum for ancient writing, the Wayang Museum for shadow puppets, the Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum and the Maritime Museum. As of press time, it could not be confirmed whether the five were scheduled for a renovation.

Arie also said another Rp 5 billion would be allocated for the Balai Konservasi, a heritage conservation center built to maintain and preserve artefacts from each of Jakarta’s museums.

Officially opened in 1974 by the Suharto government, the Joang 45 Museum is located in Cikini, Central Jakarta, a prominent hotel during the Dutch colonial era. The museum’s collection includes the first presidential car used by the country’s first president, Sukarno.

The Textile Museum, which occupies a 19th century building in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, displays traditional costumes with various motifs and ornaments from across the country. The building, once the headquarters of a youth movement which fought the Dutch rule, was turned into a museum by former First Lady Tien Suharto in 1978, but has fallen into disrepair.

The MH Thamrin Museum on Jalan Kenari in Central Jakarta contains a collection of items connected to national independence hero Thamrin, a Jakarta native.

According to Arie, Jakarta had a total of 273 cultural landmarks, but not all of them were maintained by the city administration. Certain sites, he said, were managed directly by the central government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Others were under the care of private individuals or groups, but still under the supervision of the government.

The city is also responsible for the National Monument, or Monas, Proclamation Park and the Onrust Archeology Park in the Thousand Islands district.

Arie said the city needed to find other income sources to maintain museums and historical sites because the agency’s budget wasn’t sufficient.

“The vice governor [Prijanto] has instructed me to find alternative sources of funds to maintain the sites, ” Arie said.

In 2008, the agency was able to generate Rp 4.1 billion in ticket sales among the city’s eight museums, surpassing their official target of Rp 3.6 billion.

“This year we are looking to earn Rp 3.9 billion, as we predict the political situation leading up to the general elections could potentially reduce the number of visitors,” he said, saying security concerns during election years were a reason for a possible decline in the tourism business.

Source: TheJakartaGlobe.com

Photo Credit: http://ariesaksono.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/museum-fatahilah-jakarta-story-about-si-jagur/

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