via Kompas, 09 June 2024: The relocation of artifacts from the former South Sumatra Archaeological Center to BRIN Cibinong aims to preserve Sriwijaya-era relics amidst concerns about Palembang’s commitment to heritage preservation. Despite local protests, the move seeks to ensure the artifacts’ safety, highlighting issues in local heritage management.
Friday (7/6/2024) is quite a dilemma day for the world of archeology in South Sumatra. Research objects in the collection of the former South Sumatra Archaeological Center in Palembang were moved to the head office of the Research and Innovation Agency or BRIN in Cibinong, West Java, including findings from the Kedatuan era Srivijaya (VII-XI centuries).
Will the relocation be a negative signal for Palembang, which is trying to reaffirm its status as the center of the Sriwijaya Kingdom? Or on the contrary, will the relocation be a wise step to save the legacy of Sriwijaya when the local government is considered to have not had a strong commitment to preserving these historically valuable objects?
When getting ready to rest on Friday night, Vebri Al-Lintani, who serves as the Chief of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Society Alliance (AMPCB) Sumsel, suddenly feels refreshed. That’s because Vebri got news from his fellow members that the artifacts resulting from the research of the South Sumatra Archaeological Center are currently being moved to the BRIN headquarters in Cibinong.
To the best of their knowledge, many of those objects originate from the era of Sriwijaya. This means that if those objects are taken to Cibinong, Palembang, which is believed to have been the center of Sriwijaya, will become further away from the evidence of its history.
