YOGYAKARTA - Historical buildings in many cities in Indonesia are threatened to perish due to lack of policy from Governors and Regents who do not give enough attention to the maintenance of cultural buildings. They prefer to prioritize economic and political interests rather than cultural ones.
This emerged in an international seminar on Urban Heritage, A Tribute to Prof. Inajati Adrisijanti at Koesnadi Hardjasoemantri Cultural Center, Wednesday (30/3). Presenting as keynote speakers were an architecture expert Prof. Dr. Eko Budihardjo and an architect from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Prof. Dr. Widjaja Martokusumo.
Eko conveyed that cooperation between architects and archaeology plays big role to give emphasis to the government to continue to maintain the preservation of historical buildings. He said that historic buildings do not receive serious attention from local governments. However, the buildings are very important for education and increase tourist attraction. "They prefer to build new buildings instead of doing the conservation of various historical buildings that exist," he said.
A good and beautiful city, said the former Rector of Diponegoro University, is not assessed from the splendor of office buildings and shopping centers, but the presence of historical buildings which are well maintained. "Urban heritage is the paradise of a city, it is important for us to maintain local wisdom, local genius, local resource," he explained.
The same opinion was conveyed by Widjaja, that structure of historical buildings provides a strong contribution to the city to offer urban diversity and experience to enrich urban life quality. "Diversity and planning of historical buildings give meaning, uniqueness and life experience compared to other cities," he said.
To create a better environment of historical buildings, Widjaja proposed that pedestrian areas and convenient traffic as a conducive place for tourists need to be built surrounding historical buildings in urban areas.
Interview with Prof. Dr. Inajati
To reporters, Prof. Dr. Inajati said that historical buildings are threatened to perish and get evicted because of economic policy interest. She expected that government policy is not merely about economic interests, but also culture. "We expect the culture also gets balanced attention in the future," she said.
She added, the introduction of the history and story of a historical building in the urban areas can identify a nation's achievements in the past. "In addition to education, urban heritage can be utilized for tourism," she concluded.