Madiun Police Supervise Demolition Of Hundreds Of Pencak Silat Monuments On Government Assets

Madiun Police Chief AKBP Anton Prasetyo. BETWEEN/Louis Rika

Madiun Police Chief AKBP Anton Prasetyo said his staff would focus on monitoring the demolition or control process of hundreds of pencak silat monuments in Madiun Regency, East Java, which were built on government asset land.

His party collected data, namely as many as 637 pencak silat monuments that were established, both on government assets and on residents' private lands.

"Of that number, only 57 pencak silat monuments were built on residents' lands. This means that there are 580 pencak silat monuments built on government asset land, be it villages, sub-districts, districts, and provinces," said AKBP Anton quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 10.

The police chief explained that the demolition of the pencak silat monument followed up on the letter from the East Java National Unity and Political Unity Agency (Bakesbangpol) Number: 300/5984/209.5/2023 regarding controlling/unloading the silat college monument in the area dated June 26, 2023. The demolition is no later than mid-August 2023.

The decision of the letter from Bakesbangpol East Java was based on the results of a coordination meeting between Bakesbangpol East Java, Polda East Java, Kodam V Brawijaya, Chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) East Java, General Chairperson of PSH Winongo and PSHT, as well as several other related parties which took place on June 26, 2023.

"The monuments located on the land of this state facility must be brought under control according to the East Java Baresbangpol letter. Because it has the potential to cause conflict, because these routes are passed by residents of other silat universities if they are to carry out activities or after," said Anton.

Related to this, his party together with other stakeholders and the management of the pencak silat college will hold a coordination meeting to discuss the follow-up to the control letter.

"Currently we are establishing communication between pencak silat and stakeholders intensely. We also expect collective awareness from the college to dismantle the monument they made themselves," he said.

The background of the demolition of the silat college monument according to a circular letter from the East Java Baresbangpol is to maintain harmony, maintain a sense of togetherness, anticipate conflicts because these monuments create public discomfort which seems to image the area identical to a silat college.