TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Circulating on X and Youtube as well as Instagram, a video and images claimed to be the preparation of the installation of an escalator at Borobudur Temple to welcome the arrival of Indonesian President Prabowo and President of France, Emmanuel Macron, scheduled for Thursday, May 29, 2025. The video narrated the construction of the escalator for the welcoming of Prabowo and Macron. Here is the clarification:
Palace: Facility for Macron's Visit Efficiency
The Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, stated that the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, will visit Borobudur Temple, Magelang Regency, on May 28 or 29, 2025. Hasan mentioned that Macron wishes to see the beauty and grandeur of Borobudur Temple as one of the wonders of the world.
The Indonesian government will facilitate this desire by providing a stairlift to ease Macron's access to the top of Borobudur Temple. President Prabowo Subianto will also accompany him.
"Borobudur is about as high as this floor. A 12-story building. So, President Macron's state visit is limited in time. Thus, facilities are provided to traverse each floor and level at Borobudur," he said at his office in Jakarta on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Claimed Not to Damage the Temple Site
The Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, stated that the installation of the facility will not damage Borobudur Temple. He claimed that the installation does not involve nails and drills. Moreover, the installation is only for that particular visit. "So, it's just placed there. Later, when finished, it can be easily dismantled," he said.
Hasan mentioned that the Indonesian government will provide a kind of staircase without steps to assist Macron and Prabowo to reach the 4th floor. Then, the government will prepare a stairlift from the 5th or 8th floor to the top of Borobudur Temple.
Hasan claimed that the government's objective in providing this is to make the visit more efficient. "Using a stairlift to save time," he said.
Minister of Culture Fadli Zon Calls Escalator Construction a Hoax
The Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, stated that there are no plans for the construction of an escalator at Borobudur Temple. Fadli mentioned that the information circulating about the construction of a lift or escalator is fake news or a hoax.
"I want to emphasize that this news is fake news. There is no plan to build a lift at Borobudur Temple," Fadli said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Not an Escalator, but an Assistive Device Like a Chair
According to Fadli, the government is currently working on obtaining an assistive device in the form of a specially operated chair, not an escalator, called 'Chairlift'. He stated that this facility is to support accessibility and is intended for people with physical limitations. Fadli mentioned that inclusive facilities to reach the upper parts of the site are much needed by people with disabilities and senior religious figures such as monks with limitations.
Various sites around the world, such as the Acropolis in Greece, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, and the Great Wall of China, have this chairlift facility. Fadli Zon claimed that this facility will not damage the site because its design is not massive and does not penetrate the structure of cultural heritage. The installation is non-permanent and can be removed if not used. In addition, there are also portable wooden ramps and pads as part of an accessibility solution that complies with preservation standards.
Ervana Trianikaputri and Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.
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