Aceh Only Has 12 Certified Cultural Heritage Experts, Even Though Their Role Is So Important

Illustration - Mapesa Aceh administrators clean the tombs of Acehnese kings in Gampong Pande Banda Aceh (ANTARA)

ACEH - Aceh's Cultural Values Preservation Center (BPNB) stated that Aceh still lacks experts for cultural heritage and certified intangible cultural heritage experts.

"While there are not enough experts on Aceh's cultural heritage, I see that there are only 12 who have been certified", said the Head of BPNB Aceh, Nurmatias, in Banda Aceh, Antara, Wednesday, March 9.

Nurmatias said the 12 teams of experts on Aceh's cultural heritage were all at the provincial level, namely from Syiah Kuala University (USK) and Ar-Raniry State Islamic University, Banda Aceh, while for districts/cities in Aceh there were none.

"There are no regencies/cities in Aceh yet. In the new regions, we have made an acceleration to make a team of experts on cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage", he said.

Nurmatias said, by the mandate of Law Number 11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Conservation, all regions in Indonesia should have a team of cultural heritage experts. The expert is needed to conduct an assessment of an object or an inheritance.

He emphasized the importance of the cultural heritage experts because they can also register things of cultural value.

"By their duties, cultural heritage experts have three main tasks, namely determining, ranking and then eliminating (cultural heritage and heritage)", he said.

Then, continued Nurmatias, the importance of the cultural heritage expert is also to convey to the respective regional heads to establish a regional culture.

"Because if there is no recommendation from them they can't, therefore we hope that this expert will be reproduced soon, by the regional law it is mandatory to have cultural heritage experts", he added.