It has been revealed that eight months ago a protected award-winning house in Menteng, Central Jakarta, was half torn down after it was sold to one of the country’s top political figures.

Left to rot: This home on Jl. Cik Di Tiro No. 62 in Menteng, Central Jakarta, has been vacant since the city stopped its new owner from demolishing it. Critics say that the house, a classic Dutch Indische Woonhuizen colonial building worth Rp 16 billion (US$1.76 million, see insert), deserves legal protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage. JP/Ricky YudhistiraSources who learned about the transaction last year said that the house, an iconic Dutch Indische Woonhuizen (Indies Residences) style house known as “Rumah Cantik” (beautiful house), was sold for about Rp 16 billion (US$1.76 million) to Edhie Baskoro “Ibas” Yudhoyono.



The house’s front fence is now sealed off wit...