"The cultural heritage status is to protect and ensure the building is maintained in its original form," the head of Jakarta Cultural Office's Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, Linda Enriany, said here on Friday.
The designation of cultural heritage status to Fatmawati's home was finalized based on the agency's Recommendation Report No. 181/TACB/Tap/Jaksel/II/2022, following an assessment conducted by the cultural heritage expert team on February 16, 2022, the official added.
Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono then endorsed the cultural heritage status through Jakarta Governor’s Decision No. 1207 of 2022, which was signed on December 27, she informed.
Enriany said that despite being no longer inhabited, the house has still been maintained properly by Fatmawati's descendants.
The cultural heritage status does not take away Fatmawati’s family's rights and ownership of the house, she clarified, adding that the decision to open the cultural heritage to the public would rest on the family.
"The decision to open the house for the public or tourists or not would be on Fatmawati's family," Enriany said.
Fatmawati's house spans 718 square meters and stands on 1,400 square meters of land. The house is located at Sriwijaya Road No. 26, Selong, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.
Fatmawati, a Bengkulu native, was born on February 5, 1923. She married Soekarno in 1943 and became the First Lady of Indonesia after her husband became president. She is known for sewing the first red-and-white flag that was flown after the proclamation of Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945.
Fatmawati died on May 14, 1980, and was declared a National Hero in 2000. She was the mother of the fifth President of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut SW, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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