Jakarta, IO – West Sumatran cultural observer Edy Utama took a swipe at West Sumatra government for letting Ema Idham’s residence, a cultural heritage building in Padang, demolished by its current owner last week.
In 1942, said Edy, Sukarno used to stay in the house when the travelled from Bengkulu to West Sumatra. Before being owned by Ema Idham, the house, built in 1930, was the residence of Dr. Waworuntu.
“Sukarno stayed there for more than five months with his old friend from Manado, Woworunto. At that time, Sukarno was not yet a president. He was still a respected figure from Java,” explained Edy, reported Republika, Thursday (16/2).
Edy gave Blitar as an example. In the month of June every year, tens of thousands of people visited the city to commemorate the birthday of Sukarno, or Bung Karno as he was affectionately known. Likewise, Bengkulu preserves the house where Sukarno stayed in his exile into a museum. Every year, it has become a tourist attraction.
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“But in Padang, the heritage residence with its rich history was allowed to be destroyed. This is a tragedy for a city that has declared a year for tourist visit,” said Edy. (at)