Indeed, the Consultants General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Davao, the Philippines are confused. They had the heart to suddenly burn the Reog Ponorogo peacock and its accompanying gamelan because it was considered an object containing idols. The actions of the Consulate General have clearly destroyed the noble cultural heritage of our ancestors and do not know about the history of Reog Ponorogo which has become worldwide and has become a cultural asset of the Indonesian nation at UNESCO.
As reported by the news site Bitungnews.com Thursday (29/10/2015), a number of elements of the Indonesian Consulate General were seen burning the Barong Reog Ponorogo and the accompanying gamelan. From information compiled by bitungnews.com, the burning was carried out on Tuesday, October 20, 2015. Even though the cultural object is the pride of the people of Ponorogo.
The reason for the burning of Barong Reog Ponorogo, and the dragon decoration on the gamelan, is because there is a demon and it is an idol. Unfortunately, the Acting Consulate General, Loegeng Priyohanisetyo, did not prevent the arson.
In fact, reportedly, Acting Consulate General Davao actually called a security guard named Santander to pour gas over the reog and 2 gamelan dragons, the security guard was so surprised and surprised he said in Bisaya Tagalog:
"Hadluk kaayu ko, dear kaayu ang dragon gwapo kaayu unya sunugon, kasayang sa reog pero gisugo man ko (I'm so scared, it's a shame that the dragon snake is so good it wants to be burned, the reog is too bad but how else can I be told)," said Santander.
"When the Barong Reog and dragon gamelan decorations were burned, which are the inventory of the Indonesian Consulate General's cultural museum, none of the other Indonesian Consulate General staff knew," said a source as quoted by bitungnews.com.
"After this incident, the perpetrators were blasphemed by most of the Indonesian citizens in Davao, but the perpetrators still feel innocent because they think what they are doing is right in the eyes of God," added the source.
An Indonesian citizen residing in Davao, stated that the Acting Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Davao was declared persona non grata, and asked the Indonesian government to withdraw the persons involved in the act of burning the nation's cultural heritage.
Cultural activist and historical object Yul Adriansyah condemned the burning of reog carried out by a number of elements of the Indonesian Consulate General. "It's really sad, Reog Ponorogo's property was burned because it was considered an idol," said Yul in a questioning tone.
According to Yul, the actions taken by the Indonesian Consulate General have gone too far and do not respect Indonesian culture, which should be respected and promoted in other countries. "It's not even burned, I'm sad to hear that, and this is a shame for the honor of the Indonesian people who uphold the noble culture of our nation," said the man who is also a journalist.
Regarding the news of the sudden burning of Reog Ponorogo, the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Davao City, Philippines, clarified the issue.
They admitted that they did burn the Reog Ponorogo but the reason was not related to the expulsion of idols or spirits.
The objection was conveyed through a press release on its website which was updated this afternoon, Saturday, October 31, 2015.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Davao City admitted that they had burned Reog Ponorogo on October 20, 2015. The Reog Ponorogo is an asset they have owned since 1988. So what is the real reason they destroy cultural objects by burning them?
"The destruction by burning had to be carried out because the Ponorogo reog was already in a damaged condition and was eaten by termites," wrote the Indonesian Consulate General in Davao.
The Consulate General affirmed that the burning was not at all an attempt by the Consulate General in Davao City to damage or eliminate Reog Ponorogo as a cultural asset.
The destruction of these assets has been carried out carefully and with full respect for Reog Ponorogo as a cultural asset. The Consulate General in Davao City also wants to emphasize that the burning has absolutely nothing to do with efforts to expel idols or spirits.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Davao City is currently communicating with parties in Indonesia to seek a new replacement for Reog Ponorogo.
Previously, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno LP Marsudi, said that the news that a Reog Ponorogo was deliberately set on fire at the office of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Davao, Philippines, was not entirely true.
"Reog and gamelan decorations in the form of dragon heads were burned because they were damaged and infested with termites," said Retno via text message.
For information, several media outlets had published news stating that officials at the Indonesian Consulate General in Davao allowed these individuals to burn the cultural products of the Indonesian people because they were considered to be worshiping idols.