Old Workers To Return For Latest Restoration Of Soekarno's House

Bengkulu, Sep 12 (Antara) - Workers who helped restore heritage artifacts and buildings in 1985, including the house of former president Soekarno during his exile in Bengkulu from 1938 to 1942, will return for the latest restoration of Soekarno`s house. "These are the same workers who restored the house in 1985. They are still healthy, and we expect the restoration to be successful because they `know` this house (better than anyone else)," Coordinator of Bengkulu`s Jambi Heritage Preservation an Maintenance Sugrahanudin said here on Thursday. He noted that 10 people---four workers from the 1985 restoration and six assistants---will handle the restoration of the house, which is located in Jl, Soekarno-Hatta, Anggut Atas Village, Bengkulu Municipality. In 2003, minor repairs were made to the roof`s tiles, which had come loose following a large-magnitude earthquake in Bengkulu in 2000. "The repairs in 2003 only covered fixing the roof tiles and repainting the whole house," Sugrahanudin stated. The Jambi Heritage Preservation office will attempt to use the same materials from the previous restoration, including painting the house in its original shade of amber, which was used when the house was built in 1918. Three officials from the Education and Culture Ministry, who have been present in Bengkulu since Tuesday, will supervise the restoration process in cooperation with the Jambi Heritage Preservation office. Based on the latest observations, the workers have begun removing some of the roof tiles to repair damage to the house`s weathered frame. Sugrahanudin revealed that the restoration will not be thorough. Instead, painting and reparation of parts of the house that are badly damaged, such as the weathered frame, the key-lock doors and windows, the roof, the ceiling, and the balcony, will be prioritized because the funds for restoration are limited. "The contract stipulates that the process will take 75 days. Hopefully, the weather will remain stable, so the project will finish in time," he explained. Even though repairs are still underway, Sugrahanudin said the house remains open to visitors, so long as they stay away from the parts of the house that are being restored.