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Gus Dur concerned about preserving national culture
National News - August 19, 2000
YOGYAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Friday night
during a Javanese ritual Ruwatan Sukerto in Yogyakarta that he had
asked Sultan Hamengkubuwono X to chair a board which will deal with
the dynamic movement of national culture in facing modernization and
globalization.
"I will establish a board, I haven't got any idea of its name, that
will be responsible for making a frame for dialogue between the new
and local cultures," Abdurrahman said in a ritual to cast away evil
and bad fetish for the nation at the Balairung hall of the Gajah Mada
University (UGM).
"The board will further classify which ones are local, old cultures
and which ones are the new cultures," he added.
The Friday event was chaired by Hariadi Dharmawan of the Alumni
Association of the University of Indonesia as well as fellow UGM
scholars.
"I know that many will protest the appointment of Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X as he is a Javanese King. This board will not only
deal with Javanese culture but all cultures nation-wide.
"For me, the Sultan is the one who can symbolize two distinctive
characters, first as a bureaucrat and second as the representation of
'culture concern'," he said.
From day to day the country has witnessed strong attacks on our
cultural heritage, he said.
"If we're not careful with the extensive development of IT
(Information Technology), as a nation we can loose everything. It's
not that I'm against the new culture, but I think it has to be
modified with the local custom.
"I know that many will say this is only a waste of money. But I think
the core of the nation's problem is here. Therefore, we will pay
whatever it takes to straighten this up," Abdurrahman added.
The President jokingly expressed his relief over the completion of the
Annual Session.
"Now the Batara Kala is over as for days I have to hear the Batara
Kala speaking. Well, the MPR Annual Session was the Batara Kala," he
said, raising cheers from the audience.
Batara Kala is a giant in Javanese shadow puppet shows that symbolizes
bad luck. (44/edt)