The Condition Of Multatuli's House In Rangkasbitung Usang Is Not Maintained: The Wall Is Holes, The Window And The Door Are Lost

The official residence of the former Multatuli, which is located in the Adjidarmo Rangkasbitung Hospital as a cultural heritage, is neglected and not maintained.ANTARA/Mansur

LEBAK - The Lebak Regency Government (Pemkab) has proposed a budget for the rehabilitation of the ex-Multatuli official residence in the Adjidarmo Rangkasbitung Hospital as a cultural heritage. "We have actually prioritized the rehabilitation budget for the former Multatuli official residence in 2020, but were affected by COVID-19," said Head of the Lebak Regency Culture and Tourism Office (Disbudpar) Imam Rismahayadin in Lebak, Friday. The official residence of the former Multatuli is the house of Eduard Douwes Dekker, Assistant Resident of the Dutch Colonial Period who served in the Lebak Regency, Banten Province. The house of the former Multatuli official was occupied in 1856 and briefly became the headquarters of the Dutch colonial army in 1850. So far, Multatuli's building, which is located in the Adjidarmo Rangkasbitung Hospital, has entered as a cultural heritage. However, the house building was not maintained and many were already missing, such as in windows, doors, glasses, and tiles. In fact, he continued, the walls of the walls had holes, peeling paint, ground floors, and the buildings were not perfect. "We hope to propose the rehabilitation, and it can be realized in 2024 to preserve the nation's cultural wealth," he said. According to him, Eduard Douwes Dekker's struggle should be appreciated because they gave encouragement and motivation to the Indonesian people to fight against Dutch colonialism. At that time Eduard Douwes Dekker's conscience was contrary to the Dutch Colonial Government which blackmailed the people in Lebak. Therefore, the Assistant for the Dutch Resident who served in Lebak wrote the Max Havelaar novel whose work was global, because of the crimes and injustice of the Dutch Colonial Government which he arbitrarily opposed indigenous people. "We hope that the house of writer Max Havelaar can be remembered by the public as a historical tourist destination," said Imam. Meanwhile, a number of residents of Lebak Regency admitted that they were concerned about the condition of Multatuli's building which was part of world history. Currently, the condition of the Multatuli building is abandoned and abandoned, even though it has historical value and inspires the struggle to seize independence.

"We support the construction of the rehabilitation of the official house of the former Multatuli to be remembered by grandchildren because of the history of the nation," said Ujang (45), a resident of Cibadak, Lebak Regency.