Minister of Culture Fadli Zon responded firmly regarding the public perception that has long associated the Mount Kawi area in East Java with the practice of pesugihan (wealth-procurement rituals). According to him, the mystical labeling deeply ingrained in society has reduced the historical value and diverse traditions preserved at the site.
In Fadli's view, Mount Kawi should be positioned as a cultural mosaic representing the fusion of local values with diverse social backgrounds of the past. He believes the dominant mystical narrative actually obscures the fact that this area is a historical artifact closely tied to cultural acculturation in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Culture is committed to repositioning the image of historical sites like Mount Kawi. The government's primary focus is now on public education so that society can view this site in terms of cultural heritage, historical value, and sociological richness that must be preserved for future generations.
Fadli Zon emphasized that the government will not allow negative stigmas to continue dominating the identity of historical places. Future preservation efforts will involve in-depth research to uncover the authentic side of Mount Kawi, ensuring the site's future utilization is more oriented toward developing cultural insights and national history education.
