YOGYAKARTA- The Yogyakarta Palace is expected to not only become a tourist attraction, but also a kind of cultural guide that can unify the concept of nationalism, both nationally and regionally. Thereby, through this concept, the wisdom of palace cultural heritage will remain actual and beneficial to society. "The specialty of Yogyakarta Palace will be preserved by becoming a cultural guide, not only promoting symbols," a political analyst and government of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of UGM, Prof. Purwo Santoso, M.A, Ph.D said, in a book discussion 'Merajut Kembali Pemikiran Sri Sultan HB IX (Re-considering the Thoughts of Sri Sultan HB IX), held at Universitas Gadjah Mada Library on Thursday (28/4).
This book is a collection of thoughts and writings of Heru Wahyu Kismoyo about polemics ofYogyakarta’s specialty status. Heru Wahyu Kismoyo is a former member of Yogyakarta parliament service period 2004-2008 as well as Yogyakarta palace courtier. Heru is known as keeper of Yogyakarta’s specialty because of his writings associated with the specialty.
Purwo said many thoughts of Sri Sultan HB IX which are still relevant and useful to the process of democratization, for example the idea of multiculturalism in Indonesia through the concept of cultural politics of Yogyakarta. On the other hand, Purwo admitted that it is still often difficult to unify ideas between the academic world with concepts of the palace related to democratization and the government. Therefore, he expected through some of the thinking of Sri Sultan HB IX, which may not have been explored all can be continued to be interpreted better. "So, we need to be more serious to interpret the thoughts of Sri Sultan HB IX, including on the concept of unity in the Unitaryof the Republic of Indonesia," he said.
Purwo added that one way to reformulate and bridge Yogyakarta in the frame of the Republic of Indonesia is through culture and education strategy. Yogyakarta as the centre of education can be developed continuously. "Known as the 'horizontal learning', Yogyakarta can still spread knowledge and all its aspects. On the other hand, the notion as city of education is still preserved," he added.
Meanwhile, the author of the book, Heru Wahyu Kismoyo, said the embryo of democracy in Indonesia has come from Yogyakarta. Heru hoped that the concept of culture and democratization found in kingdoms in Indonesia has not eroded even in the frame the Republic of Indonesia. "Hopefully Yogyakarta would not become like the ancient Majapahit kingdom, whose heritage has now been seen only in the form of a gate in Trowulan," Heru said.
He explained that Yogyakarta’s specialty is based on three things, namely the history of government, form of government, and head of government. Heru admitted that the core. of Yogyakarta’s specialty has not been fully understood, but actually to understand the substance of the specialty can be viewed from the socio-cultural, socio-historical, socio-legal, and socio-political sides.
Sri Sultan HB IX, according to Heru, hoped that the Palace would still survive hundreds of years to come as, retroactively, the Palace has given meaning to the lives of its people for hundreds of years ago, in line with the democratization process in Yogyakarta. "The resilience of cultural democracy is inseparable from the integration between the Sultanate and Pakualaman kingdom. That is the meaning of Yogyakarta’s specialty," he added.
The book discussion was also attended by a senior figure from the Palace, GBPH Yudaningrat, and Dr. John Monfries, a researcher from Australian National University. Monfries assessed Sri Sultan HB IX is a simple and careful figure, particularly related to political affairs. However, when it comes to pluralism, Sri Sultan HB IX was able to deal with it by accommodating minorities. "I saw that he very rarely criticised other national figures, but I think Sri Sultan HB IX is a better figure than Sukarno or Suharto. He was a politician who did not seek power," said the man whose dissertation was entitled HB IX, Prince of the Republic.