Jakarta - A new funding scheme is needed to enable city-run museums to expand their preservation and promotional activities and to encourage more visitors to enjoy Indonesia‘s cultural and heritage collections, an official said.
"There should be continuing funding and a management board for museum conservation, like in other countries," head of the Jakarta History Museum MR Manik told The Jakarta Post.
"The board should be made up of representatives from the private sector, who can produce income safely by investing available funds in the stock market."
Currently, all nine museums and two historical sites -- the National Monument (Monas) and the Proclamation Park -- are managed by the city‘s administration and funded via the city budget.
The Jakarta culture and museum agency received Rp 122 billion (US$12.97 million) from the 2007 city budget, of which only Rp 80 billion is used for fostering its exhibitions. The rest goes toward office related expenses.
And while the museums charge visitors an entrance fee, this money goes straight back to the city‘s coffers.
"All of the income that we receive from charging visitor entrance fees must be transferred to the city administration account," Manik said.
"We can not use the money for museum activities and the administration allocates an annual budget for each museum."
The Jakarta History Museum, better known as the Fatahillah Museum, is the largest contributor to the city‘s bank accounts -- and it receives the largest share of the budget.
In 2005, the museum contributed more than Rp 67 million from entrance fees. Last year, the Fatahillah museum contributed Rp 80 million, of a total Rp 173 million from nine museums.
The museum charges Rp 2,000 for adults, Rp 1,000 for university students and Rp 600 for children.
Fatahillah was visited by 69,708 visitors last year, while 63,053 visitors came the previous year and 45,303 in 2004.
Some 8,000 visitors see the museum every month and during this year‘s July school holidays, visitor numbers peaked at 9,898 visitors.
The museum is closed on Monday and holidays, but is open an average of 25 days every month.
This year, Fatahillah received annuals funds worth Rp 1.9 billion -- 30 percent for its exhibitions and the rest for routine expenses.
But Manik said there was no museum -- state-own or private -- that could survive on the government‘s budget alone.
"So we need our own managed budget to invest ... something like a perpetual fund," he said.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (15 September 2007)
