The History Of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah: Soeharto's Will In Realizing Mrs. Tien's Hope To Have Disneyland

JAKARTA - There is news spreading about the origin of the idea for the construction of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). It is said, TMII was inspired by Disneyland. Not just copying. Siti Hartinah alias Mrs. Tien Soeharto wants TMII to become Disneyland with a more spiritual version. For decades TMII belongs to Mrs. Tien, until today its ownership has returned to the state.

During a visit to the United States (US) in the 1970s, Mrs. Tien was accompanying Suharto at that time. One of the agenda of her visit is California, to be precise Disneyland.

Mrs. Tien was enjoying a number of creative rides when the desire to have Disneyland in Jakarta arose. However, as written in the memorandum on the Problem of the Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Project which was discussed at the 1971/1972 House of Representatives Session, Mrs. Tien wanted TMII to be more complete spiritually and materially.

As quoted from the Ministry of Education and Culture's website, the basic concept of TMII in Mrs. Tien's head is for TMII to become a miniature of Indonesia with all its wealth. Mrs. Tien wants the pride of Indonesia to grow in the heart of every citizen.

TMII was built in 1972 and was inaugurated on April 20, 1975. TMII is managed under the Harapan Kita Foundation, with Mrs. Tien as its chairman.

Various aspects of Indonesia's natural and cultural wealth to the use of modern technology are exhibited in an area of 150 hectares. The topography of TMII is actually rather hilly.

Very ideal, the designer thought. The design team made use of the rugged elevation of the ground to create rich landscapes and landscapes while simultaneously depicting different types of environments in Indonesia.

Logo and Symbols of TMII

TMII has a logo that basically consists of the letters T, M, I, I. It stands for "Taman Mini Indonesia Indah" of course.

Meanwhile, the puppet figure Hanoman was chosen to be the mascot with the name Nitra, an acronym for Anjani Putra. The mascot of TMII was inaugurated by Mrs. Tien coincided with the twentieth age of TMII in 1991.

In Indonesia, almost every ethnic group has a different shape and style of building. In fact, it is not uncommon for one ethnic group to have more than one type of traditional building.

The traditional buildings or architecture that they make are always overshadowed by their environmental and cultural conditions. At TMII, this image is manifested through the Regional Pavilion, which represents the ethnic groups in 33 provinces of Indonesia.

Indonesian Miniature in TMII (Source: Kemdikbud.go.id)

The provincial platform is built around a lake in the shape of a miniature Indonesian archipelago, which is thematically divided into six zones; Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua. Each pavilion displays a typical local building.

This pavilion also displays traditional clothes, wedding clothes, dance clothes, and ethnographic artifacts, such as typical weapons and daily furniture, building models, to handicrafts.

The Controversy of TMII Development

Since the intention of the TMII development project was sparked, waves of resistance have rolled in. Soeharto got around the protests unmistakably.

But everyone knew what Soeharto had in mind. At a public event in 1972, Soeharto responded to the controversy over the idea of his wife.

Soeharto did not immediately attack the opposing groups, who were mostly students. Soeharto cited differences of opinion as a spice of democracy.

However, a moment later he also asked that the difference of opinion be carried out within the limits of harmony without confusion. Many parties consider Suharto's statement to be shrouded in anger and intimidation.

The idea of building TMII had entered the parliament controlled by Golkar and the ABRI faction, with 336 and 460 seats. But before that, Mrs. Tien at her residence on Cendana Street, Central Jakarta.

Photo Illustration of the House of Representatives Building (Sumber: Commons Wikimedia)

As quoted from Tirto, the presentation was carried out in a meeting with the board of the Harapan Kita Foundation. The official website of TMII states that the meeting was held on March 13, 1970. However, other references state that the idea of TMII development was first sparked during Mrs. Tien to Disneyland.

December 1970, Mrs. Tien spoke in front of the governor's wives from all over Indonesia. This agenda followed another meeting held by Suharto and the governors at the same place.

Mrs. Tien asked for support and encouraged the governor's wives to persuade their husbands to participate in the TMII project. This is important because the next job is to find a source of funds.

Photo Illustration of Mrs. Tien in an Event (Sumber: Commons Wikimedia)

The government cannot immediately disburse money for the development of TMII. At that time the government was focusing on economic development.

Therefore, TMII financing was finally carried out by 'collection' from the regions. Amir Machmud, Suharto's confidant who was then Minister of Home Affairs, told Mrs. Tien said that "I will mobilize all regional apparatus that I lead.

Indeed, apart from Amir's insistence, the regional heads at that time had an interest in promoting their regional wealth. TMII is like the right way.

Criticism of Mrs. Tien got firmer after meeting the governors' wives. Apart from students, intellectuals, technocrats, and businessmen also protested.

What did Mrs. Tien was considered to be at odds with Suharto's call at that time to warn regional heads and the whole community to save money. "Do not be extravagant because most of the people still live in poverty," said Soeharto in a meeting with the governor, referring to Menyilang Jalan Kekuasaan Militer Otoriter (2004) by Rum Aly and Hatta Albanik.

In addition to spending money from the central government and regional contributions, the TMII project also involved many other parties. It is said that the funds needed at that time ranged from US$ 100 to 300 million, at an exchange rate of Rp. 200 at the time. This news was denied by Mrs. Tien said that the development cost is Rp. 10 billion.

Management and Ownership of TMII

The State Secretariat Ministry (Kemensetneg), on Wednesday, April 7 announced that TMII is now being managed by the state as an asset under the Ministry of State Secretariat. This refers to Presidential Decree 19/2021 concerning TMII.

"So the Harapan Kita Foundation has almost 44 years of managing state-owned assets recorded at the Ministry of State Secretariat," said State Secretary Pratikno in an online press conference.

"And this means stopping the management that has been carried out by the Harapan Kita Foundation," continued Pratikno.

During the transition period, TMII will be managed by a transition team formed by the Ministry of State Secretariat. During this process, the Harapan Kita Foundation is obliged to report the management of TMII to the transition team within three months.

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