Paku Alam X


KGPAA Paku Alam X is the ruler of Pakualaman, a small municipality in Yogyakarta in central Java, Indonesia. He succeeded as Paku Alam upon the death of the previous ruler, his father Paku Alam IX, who died on 21 November 2015. He was formally installed with the official Javanese court title of Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Arya Paku Alam X on 7 January 2016.

Personal details

Paku Alam X, whose given name is RM Wijoseno Hario Bimo, is the eldest son of his father Paku Alam IX. In court circles in Yogyakarta, before he was appointed Paku Alam X he carried the royal title Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Haryo Suryodilogo.
Paku Alam X was educated at schools in Jakarta and Yogyakarta before becoming a student in management studies in the Economics Faculty at the in Yogyakarta. In 1991 he became a civil servant in the Yogyakarta Regional Government and has held a series of positions in the Yogyakarta administration since then.
Like his predecessor, he was formally installed as deputy governor of the Yogyakarta Special Region. He was installed on 25 May 2016, serving currently under Sultan Hamengko Buwono X.
Paku Alam X's official residence is the Pakualaman palace in Yogyakarta, a short distance to the east of the main alun-alun square in the centre of the city.

Ceremony

The official installation ceremony for his appointment was held on 7 January 2016 in the Sewatama meeting hall in the Paku Alam complex. The ceremony was attended by the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X as well as a range of senior representatives of the Indonesian Government including Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and State Secretary Pratikno. The former President of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri also attended, along with her daughter, Puan Maharani, who is the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture. Speaking after the ceremony, Paku Alam X said that he would work to continue the legacy of his predecessors and would act as a caretaker of local culture.
The ceremony was an occasion for members of other royal and court families from Java and Bali to gather. Apart from Sultan Hamengku Buwono X from Yogyakarta, other royal members and nobles who attended included the following:
The gathering together of both senior political figures and members of the various court families reflects links of this kind across the Indonesian elite which have been evident on other occasions as well.
Following the ceremony, during the afternoon there was a traditional procession through the nearby streets of Yogyakarta. The new Paku Alam rode in a 200-year-old golden carriage which carries the Javanese name of Kyai Manik Kumala. The carriage was a gift given to Paku Alam I in 1812 by the then-Lieutenant-Governor of Java, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. The parade was joined by the Pakualam's traditional troops, four elephants, and four other traditional royal carriages.

Family dispute

There is a family dispute about the succession to the position of Paku Alam. Immediately upon the appointment of the new Paku Alam, a subpoena was sent to him on behalf of his half brother, Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Anglingkusumo. The branch of the court family challenging Paku Alam X's right to the succession argued that he failed to meet the proper criteria for appointment. Leadership disputes within the Pakualaman royal family are reported to date back to 1998 and the death of Paku Alam VIII. The conflict has primarily involved Anglingkusumo, the fourth son of Paku Alam VIII’s first wife Kanjeng Raden Ayu Retnaningrum, and Ambarkusumo, the first son of Paku Alam VIII’s second wife Kanjeng Raden Ayu Purnamaningrum.