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‘Rafflesia’ or ‘padma’? Debate renewed in Indonesia over flower renaming

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Rafflesia was named after the Bencoolen lieutenant-governor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

JAKARTA - In November, people on social media rejoiced for a few weeks following the rediscovery of a rare species of the Rafflesia parasitic flower in West Sumatra.

However, the rediscovery was met by renewed debate among researchers and public alike about academic colonialism. The concerns hinged on whether the Rafflesia, which was named after a European colonial figure,

should be renamed