Heroes of Independence – Friends of Sinaumed’s, do you know the meaning of heroes? According to the definition of the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), a hero is someone who stands out because of his courage and sacrifice in defending the truth. They are brave warriors.
In addition, a hero is also a nickname for someone who provides services for his nation. Through these figures, the symbol of struggle and sacrifice continues to be passed on to future generations.
Indonesian independence, on the other hand, cannot be separated from the struggle of the heroes in expelling the invaders. For their services, the state appointed these heroes of independence to be recognized as national heroes.
So, to commemorate their services, we will review some of the pioneering heroes of independence who have provided great services to the Indonesian people.
Let’s see the list below!
1. Ir. Sukarno
Soekarno when he was a student of HBS Soerabaja.
Soekarno was born in Blitar on June 6 1901, the son of a public school teacher named Raden Soekami and a Balinese woman of royal blood, Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai. He was born with the name Koesno Sosrodihardjo which was given by his parents.
As a noble child, he was able to receive higher education and graduated from the Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng (now the Bandung Institute of Technology) in 1925 majoring in civil engineering. Soekarno was declared to have passed the engineer exam on May 25, 1926.
After graduating from college, he published his political ideas in the mass media with an article entitled “Nationalism, Islam and Marxism”. This paper emphasizes the importance of the ideas of inter-group unity, which later marked political thought throughout his career.
His political struggle continued by forming the Algemeene Studie Club (ASC) in Bandung in 1926, which was the result of inspiration from the Indonesische Studie Club by Dr. Soetomo. This organization later became the forerunner to the founding of the Indonesian National Party (PNI) in 1927.
He adopted a non-cooperative attitude with the Dutch which landed him in detention several times. His activities in the PNI caused him to be arrested by the Dutch on December 29, 1929 in Yogyakarta, and the next day he was transferred to Bandung to be thrown into Banceuy Prison.
In 1930, he was transferred to Sukamiskin and read out his phenomenal plea for Indonesia suing at the Bandung Landraad court on December 18, 1930, until he was released again on December 31, 1931.
On August 17, 1945, shortly after Japan surrendered to the Allies, at the urging of the youth activists who had kidnapped him at Rengasdengklok, Soekarno and Hatta were appointed as Indonesia’s first vice-presidents.
2. KH Ahmad Dahlan
Portrait of KH Ahmad Dahlan.
KH Ahmad Dahlan was born in Kauman, Yogyakarta on August 1, 1868 and died on February 23, 1923. He was the son of KH Abu Bakar bin Kiai Mas Sulaiman (a scholar who served as preacher at the Yogyakarta Grand Mosque) and Siti Aminah or Nyai Abu Bakar bint KH Ibrahim (religious official who served as the head of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta)
He is the fourth of seven children, namely Nyai Chatib Arum, Nyai Muhsinah (Nyai Nur), Nyai Soleh, Muhammad Darwis, Nyai Abdurrahman, Nyai Muhammad Faqih, and Muhammad Basir.
KH Ahmad Dahlan had the real name Muhammad Darwis and received the honorary name Raden Ngabehi Ngabdul Darwis from Hamengkubuwana VII, because his father had a high position in the empire.
The education he received was informal education from his father. When he was eight years old, he had finished reading the Qur’an. He never received formal education because of the belief in infidels in the Kauman community for parents who sent their children to Dutch public educational institutions.
Towards adulthood (around 1870), he studied fiqh from KH Muhammad Saleh and nahwu shorof (Arabic grammar) from KH Muhsin. Other teachers are KH Muhammad Nur, KH Abdul Hamid, R.Ng. Sosrosoegondo, and R. Wedana Dwijosewojo.
Almost all of KH Ahmad Dahlan’s thoughts departed from his concern for the rigid global situation of Muslims at that time. This condition was exacerbated by the Dutch colonial politics. The background gave rise to the idea of the update.
His intellectual contact with Islamic reform thinkers led him to form the Al-Ma’un study in his hometown. .
This is what is later referred to as the ethics of compassion by various Muhammadiyah groups. That spirit becomes the force that drives Muhammadiyah members to take social action to defend fellow human beings.
3. Ki Hadjar Dewantara
Soewardi Soerjaningrat, Ernest Douwes Dekker, and Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo (Three Triads) when exiled in the Netherlands in 1914.
In the narrative of Indonesian history, the name Ki Hadjar Dewantara is always associated with his various activities in the world of education and Indonesian culture through Taman Siswa. He was born on May 2, 1889 with the name Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat. His father’s name was GPH Soerjaningrat and his grandfather was GPH Sasraningrat (Paku Alam III).
He became the first person trusted by the government of the Republic of Indonesia to serve as the 1st Indonesian Minister of Teaching. However, as experienced by most of the nationalist activists, prison is part of his life.
Together with Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo and EFE Douwes Dekker, the three founded Budi Utomo, the first group to be imprisoned by the colonial authorities. They finally had to live in exile when the national struggle had just begun.
Not long after he died on April 26, 1959, Ki Hadjar Dewantara was declared a national hero, as well as the Father of Indonesian Education. In addition, the date of his birth is also used symbolically as a commemoration of National Education Day.
A fragment of Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s motto, which reads Tut Wuri Handayani, later became part of the logo of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. Gadjah Mada University also awarded him an honorary doctorate in cultural sciences.
The dominance of elements of education and culture over Ki Hadjar Dewantara is believed to be one of the main reasons why his political activities do not become a narrative.
4. Goddess Sartika
Portrait of Dewi Sartika.
Dewi Sartika lived during the Dutch East Indies era. He was born into a well-known Sundanese family, namely R. Rangga Somanegara and RA Rajapermas in Cicalengka on December 4, 1884. After his father died, he lived with his uncle and received an education according to Sundanese culture.
She is considered a figure in modern education for girls in West Java and so far has often been compared to RA Kartini. Both of them were pioneers in the emancipation of girls through modern education, which were both supported by the regent and the Dutch East Indies government, which carried out ethical politics.
Even though RA Kartini and Dewi Sartika had the support of the Dutch East Indies government, they moved on impulse to solve real problems faced by women.
Kartini looked at the problems of feudalism and colonialism which were seen and felt in the sphere of residence with the lens of solutions through feminism and nationalism. Meanwhile, Dewi Sartika saw how women were treated as if they were easily disposed of at her uncle’s house.
Dewi Sartika’s views on the idea of feminism are not as clear as Kartini’s, even though she broke with tradition by opening a modern school. However, this was done within the framework of giving bargaining power to women so they could become wives and mothers.
Her struggle can be seen from the name of the school that was founded, namely Sakola Istri, which later changed its name to Sakola Kautamaan Istri. Dewi Sartika believes that mastering women’s skills will set them free. Skills that will protect women when their partners throw away or leave them.
Dewi Sartika went to school at Eerste Klasse School only until she was nine years old, so she did not finish elementary school. However, he managed to become a competent educator and school manager. Dewi Sartika’s students are numerous and the majority of them are from families with low incomes.
Dewi Sartika sees the strategic role of educators to elevate their degree. Despite being the son of a noble, he carries the stigma of an outcast and a rebel. This is what made him wasted by being placed in the backyard of his uncle’s house with the courtiers .
However, it was from there that Dewi Sartika started her career as an educator. He considered this profession to be of high standing apart from being a parent and working with the government.
After independence, Dewi Sartika’s health began to decline. When the Dutch Military Aggression occurred during the War of Independence, he was forced to flee to Tasikmalaya. He died on September 11, 1947 in Cineam and is buried there. After the situation was safe, his grave was then moved to Jalan Karang Anyar, Bandung.
Dewi Sartika succeeded in becoming a female educator figure, so that the Dutch East Indies government awarded her a silver award in 1922 and a gold award in 1939. In addition, she was also awarded the Order van Oranje-Nassau title on the 35th anniversary of the Kaoetamaan Isteri School, as a reward for her services in fighting for education.
The Indonesian government also awarded him the title of hero on December 1, 1966. Now, his name is used as a street name in various Indonesian cities, including the location of the school he founded.
5. RA Kartini
Negative reproduction of RA Kartini’s portrait (1890s photo).
RA Kartini is a woman who comes from the priyayi or Javanese aristocratic class. She is the daughter of Raden Mas Adipati Ario Sosroningrat, a governor who was appointed regent of Jepara. His mother was named MA Ngasirah, daughter of Nyai Haji Siti Aminah and KH Madirono, a religion teacher in Telukawur, Jepara.
Kartini was a new Indonesian pioneer in a democratic system of government, who lived only 25 years during the Dutch colonial era. He was there wholeheartedly when the early ideas of ethical politics began to open up to the natives through modern education and books.
His free, critical young soul is perhaps what makes it easy for him to capture a revolutionary spirit.
Apart from Prince Diponegoro, Kartini has been the inspiration for Budi Utomo to create study clubs and movement organizations against colonialism and imperialism. She has inspired many women’s movements such as Sujatin Kartowijono, who was the initiator of the First Indonesian Women’s Congress.
Kartini’s ideas came as a response to women entering the modern world through anti-imperialism and colonialism, which became the soul of the national movement. His courage and words have been a source of inspiration since ancient times until now.
However, on the other hand he is not shown as a battering ram of feudalism who is an enemy of democracy. The perspective of men may not be able to see their superiority.
Unfair view. If not discouraging, the possibility is negating reality or comparing things that are not comparable.
Fortunately, Kartini left so many papers. Today’s intellectuals can refer to their work to study and become the basis for placing themselves proportionally in the independent Indonesian movement.
In his opinion, for the nobility to realize its obligations, education and knowledge had to expand. In Kartini’s note to the Ministry of Dutch Colonies in 1903, he emphasized the problem.
Furthermore, if it is not possible to simultaneously educate a nation of 27 million people, for the time being only the top class will be given education and knowledge. This was considered useful because the people were loyal to the nobility.
The importance of education is what Kartini emphasizes to promote women. With education, a woman does not need to be secluded. Education will complement skills that can sustain life and determine the way of life in matters of marriage.
Rebelling against feudalism, strongly opposing polygamy, and fighting for access to education for women were the main points of his struggle. He knows this effort is not easy and takes a long time.
However, he believes his struggle will pay off. “ Change is coming in Bumiputera ”, he wrote to Stella on January 9, 1901. “ If not for us, it must be from someone else. Emancipation has flown in the air – it is destined ”.
6. Mgr. Albertus Soegijapranata
Soegijapranata in 1946.
Soegija was born in Surakarta on 25 November 1896. He was the fifth child of nine children. His father’s name is Karijosoedarmo, while his mother’s name is Soepiah. Soegija grew up in a kejawen family.
He is the first Indonesian to be appointed Archbishop, having previously been named the Apostolic Vicar of Semarang.
As well as being a monk, Soegija was a teacher of mathematics, Javanese, and religion at the Xaverius Muntilan College. He got the name Albertus Magnus after the baptism procession that was carried out by Pastor Meltens, SJ while studying at the Xavier Colosse.
After finishing school, he wanted to become a priest. This is what caused him to be sent to attend priesthood activities in 1916 and began studying Catholicism, Latin, Greek, and philosophy at the Gymnasium, Uden, the Netherlands under the tutelage of the Order of the Holy Cross or the Order of Sanctae Crucis (OSC).
After attending the Gymnasium, Soegija then entered the SJ Novitiate in Mariendaal. He studied philosophy at Berchman College, Oudenbosch from 1923 to 1926. Until 1928, Soegija devoted himself to Xaverius College as a teacher because after that he returned to the Netherlands to study theology at Maastricht.
In 1931, Soegija received the Sacrament of Order ordained by Bishop Roermond in Maastricht and added his name to Pranata. Two years after that, he returned to Indonesia and was assigned as assistant pastor in Bintaran. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed parish priest.
Based on a telegram from MGR Montini in Rome, Soegijapranata was appointed as Apostolic Vicar who assumed the position of diocese. As well as being the first Archbishop in Indonesia, Soegijapranata is known as the first Catholic priest to adapt and develop Catholic teachings based on eastern customs.
During the Dutch colonial period, he not only fought for the survival of the St. Carolus, but also fought against the notion that the church was synonymous with the Dutch colonialism. He died in the Netherlands in 1963 and was buried at TMP Giritunggal, Semarang. He was declared a national hero in 1963.
So, that’s a brief explanation of the struggles and services of the 6 Inspirational Heroes of Independence . Appreciating the services of the heroes is not only by remembering and thanking them in their hearts, but also by imitating their attitudes and actions.
sinaumedia can visit sinaumedia’s book collection at www.sinaumedia.com to obtain references about these heroes, starting from their life background, education, and struggle history.
The following is a recommendation for sinaumedia books that Sinaumed’s can read to learn about Indonesian history so they can fully interpret it. Happy reading.
Author: Fandy Aprianto Rohman
- The Concept of Historical Thinking, A Complete Review of How to Analyze the Past
- After the Proclamation, Why Should the Indonesian Nation Defend Independence?
- Definition of Periodization: Purpose, Types, and Influencing Factors
- Definition of History: Elements, Functions, and Benefits
- History and Meaning of the Proclamation of Independence for Indonesia