Batik is National Identity, Cabinet Secretary Says

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung speaks in an interview commemorating the 2019 National Batik Day, in his office, Jakarta (1/10). (Photo by: Agung/PR)

Batik is not only a clothing piece but is also a national identity and national pride, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has said.

According to Pramono, every region in Indonesia has its own batik motifs. Batik, he added, has also been known worldwide, and almost all great world leaders have donned batik clothes and said they are proud to wear it.

“We must be proud to wear batik clothes and many regions have now developed diverse motifs of batik. (Batik) should be preserved and must still be the national pride,” Pramono said during an interview on the National Batik Day, which is commemorated every 2 October in his office, Jakarta, (1/10).

Pramono has dismissed the notion that batik is still considered as an old people’s culture, while expressing belief that this assumption has changed greatly. In fact, he added, even at the Palace, it is not impossible to see someone wearing batik with sneakers.

The youth, he added, can be seen riding MRT in a kebaya, in batik clothes with jeans and sneakers.

“This shows that today’s millennials can accept batik very well,” he said, adding that it also shows that batik has undergone an extraordinary process of adjustment and acculturation.

Pramono further said that he has worn various motifs of batik, such as Kawung, Pekalongan, Lasem, Sekar Jagat, Sidoluhut, Mega Mendung, Kediri, Malang, Cirebon, Tasikmalaya, and Sasirangan.

“I will wear motifs of batik clothes that represent the day. Today’s motifs of batik have undergone changes,” he said, adding that batik has provided identity, characteristics, and at the same time, comfort. (RSF/AGG/ES)

Translated by : Fairuzzamani Inayatillah
Edited by : Ridwan Ibadurrohman, M. Ersan Pamungkas