Heroes from Kalimantan – Hero’s Day which is celebrated every November 10th, should remind the current generation of the struggles of their predecessors. Including, heroes who come from Kalimantan.
The title of National Hero is the highest title ever awarded to fighters in the country. This title, which is posthumous or given after death, is given by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia based on all actions that are considered heroic, the definition of which is a real action that can be remembered and made an example of all time by other people.
Unfortunately, not all fighters can be awarded with this title, because in awarding it requires a long research time. Kalimantan is one of the islands in Indonesia which is also involved in various activities. The long history of the struggle for independence also has several names of fighters who have been appointed as National Heroes. The following is a complete biography along with the history of the hero fighters from Kalimantan who also fought against the invaders.
1. Prince Antasari
Prince Antasari was born in Kayu Tangi, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan in 1797 or 1809 and died in Bayan Begok on October 11, 1862.
Prince Antasari was a Sultan as well as a leader in the Banjar War against the Dutch colonial troops.
Prince Antasari has the nickname Gusti Inu Kertapati, from mother Gusti Hadijah bint Sultan Sulaiman and his father Prince Masohut bin Prince Amir. His father was the grandson of Sultan Muhammad Aliuddin Aminullah who could not ascend the throne in 1785 because he was expelled by Prince Nata, his guardian who later appointed himself as Sultan Tahmidullah II with the help of the Dutch.
Prince Antasari was not only considered the leader of the Banjar tribe but was also considered a leader by various tribes namely the Sihong, Kutai, Pasir, Murung, Ngaju, Maanyan, Siang, Bakumpai and other tribes living in the interior and along the Barito river.
He continued to fight against the Dutch after Sultan Hidayatullah was tricked into taking his mother hostage who was then exiled to Cianjur.
The Banjar War occurred on April 25, 1859 when Prince Antasari and 300 of his soldiers attacked the coal mines controlled by the Dutch in Pengaron and continued in all areas of the Banjar kingdom such as Martapura, Hulu Sungai, Riam Kanan, Tanah Laut, Tabalong, along the Barito River to to Puruk Cahu.
He died of lung disease and smallpox at the age of 75 and was continued by his son, Muhammad Sema. Prince Antasari was awarded as a national hero on March 27, 1968.
2. Brigadier General Hasan Basri
Brigadier General Hasan Basri was born in Kandangan, Hulu Sungai Selatan on 17 June 1923 and died in Jakarta on 15 July 1984. He was a military figure who contributed to the struggle for Indonesian independence, especially in South Kalimantan.
He was the founder of the Indonesian Navy Division IV Battalion in South Kalimantan, and was called the Father of the Kalimantan Guerrilla by Decree of the DPRGR Level II Hulu Sungai Utara on May 20, 1962. His initial education was HIS, Tsanawiyah al-Wathaniah in Kandangan, Kweekschool Islamic Pondok Modern Ponorogo , East Java.
After independence, Brigadier General Hasan Basri was active in Kalimantan youth organizations whose headquarters were in Surabaya. His career as a soldier and fighter started from there, when he infiltrated back into South Kalimantan and became the leader of Laskar Syaifullah.
When many members of the Laskar were caught by the Dutch, Hasan Basri formed Banteng Indonesia and founded the Indonesian Navy Battalion.
Even though the results of the Linggarjati and Renville agreements put Kalimantan under Dutch rule, Hasan Basri was not afraid and continued his struggle.
Ultimately, he succeeded in proclaiming Kalimantan’s position as part of the Republic of Indonesia on May 17, 1949. The Indonesian Navy was then merged into the Indonesian Army’s Lambung Mangkurat Division and he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel.
On 3 November 2001, Brigadier General Hasan Basri was given the title of national hero from Banjarmasin by the government.
3. Idham Chalid
One of the most influential Indonesian politicians of his time, Idham Chalid was born in Satui, South Kalimantan on 27 August 1921 and died on 11 July 2010 in Jakarta.
He had served as Deputy Prime Minister of Indonesia in the Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet and in the Djuanda Cabinet, Chairman of the MPR and DPR in 1972-1977. Idam Chalid was also active in various religious activities and had served as Chairman of the Tanfidziyah Nadhlatul Ulama from 1956-1984.
The title of national hero from Banjarmasin was awarded by the government on 7 November 2011 as the third son of Banjar to be appointed as a national hero.
During the post-Old Order era, Adam Chalid also served as the Main Minister for People’s Welfare in the Ampera I Cabinet, State Minister for Welfare in the Ampera II Cabinet and the Development Cabinet I.
4. Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor
Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor was born on June 24, 1901 in Martapura. He is descended from a noble Banjar family. Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor is the great-grandson of Queen Anom Mangkubumi Kentjana bin Sultan Adam al-Watsik Billah.
At that time, the Sultanate of Banjar had been abolished unilaterally by the Dutch towards the end of the Banjar War. So that the Sultanate family which no longer had special privileges became scattered everywhere and fell into poverty.
Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor was able to attend HIS, MULO, HBS and then Techniche HoogeSchool (ITB) until he received an Engineer degree in 1927, a year after Ir. Sukarno.
He did not work for the Netherlands, but chose to fight with the people and replaced his father in the Volksraad as the representative for Kalimantan in 1935-1939.
Then, Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor was active as a PPKI member and participated in fighting the allied forces in the battle of Surabaya October-November 1945.
During the revolution in 1945-1949, Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor established the MN 1001 troop to operate in South Kalimantan under the leadership of Hassan Basri and also in Central Kalimantan under the leadership of Tjilik Riwut.
Then, he was appointed as the first Governor of Kalimantan based in Yogyakarta during the Dutch Military Aggression I and II, then Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor helped Idham Chalid and his colleagues to meet with Mohammad Hatta who requested that Kalimantan continue to struggle politically and militarily even though the Center could not yet assist.
Furthermore, Ir. Prince H. Mohammad Noor was appointed Minister of Public Works and succeeded in completing the Barito River project, opening tidal rice fields or P4S, building the Riam Kanan Hydroelectric Power Plant and several canals in Banjarmasin-Sampit, and dredging the Barito threshold which could increase prosperity in the Barito river valley. He was awarded as a national hero from Banjarmasin in 2018.
5. Abdul Kadir
Having another name as Raden Temenggung Setia Pahlawan, Abdul Kadir was born in 1771 in Kab. Sintang, West Kalimantan Province. He died in 1875 in Kab. Melawi, West Kalimantan. He is a nobleman from Melawi who offers economic development for his people while at the same time fighting the Dutch troops.
Abdul Kadir was the son of a Sintang royal noble who ruled the Melawi region in 1845 replacing his father. Abdul Kadir was in a dilemma because he had to obey the king who submitted to the Dutch, but his soul could not deny the rejection of Dutch colonialism.
He then built troops secretly to prepare against the Dutch. The Dutch were aware of the plan and gave him the title Setia Pahlawan along with some money in 1866, but Abdul Kadir continued his resistance from 1868-1875. The Dutch always lost because Abdul Kadir always got information. In the end, he was arrested by the Dutch and detained in Nanga Pinoh until he died in detention and was buried in Natal Mungguk Liang, Melawi. Abdul Kadir earned the title as a national hero in 1999.
6. Tjilik Riwut
First Marshal of TNI Posthumous Tjilik Riwut was born on February 2, 1918 in Kasongan, Kab. Katingan, Central Kalimantan Province and died in 1987 in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. He is a Dayak son who played a role in government as Governor of Central Kalimantan in 1958.
Tjilik Riwut has written several books and works as a journalist. On December 17, 1946, Tjilik Riwut together with several prominent Kalimantan Dayak representatives took an oath of allegiance to the Indonesian government with a traditional Dayak ceremony. Then he received an order to lead the first Airborne Drop Operation by S. Suryadarma, Head of the Indonesian Air Force on October 17, 1947 in Sambi village, Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan.
7. Drs. Saadilah Murshid
Drs, Saadillah Mursjid was born on September 7, 1937 and died on July 28, 2005. He was Deputy Minister/Cabinet Secretary of Indonesia in Development Cabinet V, Cabinet Secretary Minister in Development Cabinet VI, and Minister of State Secretary in Development Cabinet VII.
Before getting the ministerial position, Drs. Saadilah Mursyid, a graduate of Gadjah Mada University, The Netherlands Economic Institute (Rotterdam), and Harvard University, has served at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas). In 1992, he received the Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana award. Since 2003, Drs. Saadilah Mursyid is the general manager of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
He served as Minister of State Secretary at the resignation of former President Suharto. At that time Suharto appointed Drs. Saadilah Mursyid to prepare the final text of the Presidential Decree on the Reform Committee and the Presidential Decree on the Formation of a Reform Cabinet. Drs. Saadilah Mursyid is also known as a loyal Suharto follower politician who still accompanies Suharto when many people turned their backs on Suharto after his downfall. He was the person who wrote the draft for the resignation of President Suharto and reported on the critical moments in May 1998.
From his marriage to Halimah Ratna Mursjid, Drs. Saadilah Mursyid has three children and six grandchildren. He was buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, South Jakarta.
8. Sultan Hidayatullah II
Sultan Hidayatullah II, was born with the name Gusti Andarun, with the title Prince Hidayatullah Mangkubumi later with the title Sultan Hidayatullah Halil Illah. He was born in Martapura, 1822 and died in Cianjur, West Java, 24 November 1904 at the age of 82 years. Sultan Hidayatullah was the leader of the Banjar Sultanate which ruled from 1859 to 1862. Sultan Hidayatullah was known as one of the leaders of the Banjar War against the Dutch East Indies government.
Born as the son of Prince Ratu Sultan Muda Abdurrahman bin Sultan Adam Al-Watsiq Billah, Gusti Andarun became the main candidate to inherit the throne of the Sultanate of Banjar to replace his grandfather Sultan Adam, but this position was instead occupied by his half brother Tamjidullah II who received support from the Dutch East Indies government.
This incident created divisions within the Banjar aristocratic family and society, in which Tamjidullah’s supporters who were close to the Dutch and Gusti Andarun’s supporters who disagreed with the decision of the Dutch East Indies government. To reduce tensions, in 1856 the Dutch East Indies government then appointed Gusti Andarun as the mangkubumi (head of government) of Banjar with the title of Prince Hidayatullah.
This appointment proved unable to ease tensions between the noble families, the community, and the Dutch East Indies government. This tension also became the trigger for the Banjar War, where on April 18, 1859, Banjar troops led by Prince Antasari attacked the Oranje-Nassau coal mine in the Pengaron area. The colonial government then impeached Tamjidullah and tried to crown Hidayatullah as sultan, but Hidayatullah refused the offer. He was appointed by the Banjar commanders to become sultan in September 1859, with the title Sultan Hidayatullah Halil Illah.
Sultan Hidayatullah led the Banjar War until 1862, when he and his family were captured by the Dutch East Indies. Sultan Hidayatullah, his family and some of his followers were then exiled to Cianjur, where he spent the rest of his life there until he died in 1904. For his anti-imperialist attitude and leadership against the Dutch East Indies government in the Banjar War, in 1999 the Indonesian government awarded him the Mahaputera Star Main.
9. Lt. Gen. Retired. Zaini Azhar Maulani
Lt. Gen. Purn. Zaini Azhar Maulani was born in Marabahan, South Kalimantan on January 6, 1939, he is a writer in the field of military, intelligence and Islamic movements. He was an activist for Indonesian Islamic Students (PII) and also served as Head of the State Intelligence Coordinating Agency until 1999. He died on April 5, 2005.
Lt. Gen. Retired career. Zaini Azhar Maulani spent more time in the military world, starting as a Platoon Commander, Company I, Battalion 145/Sriwijaya. He then served as Commander of the Tanjungpura Regional Military Command VI from 1988-1991. From the Tanjungpura Military Command, he later served as Secretary General of the Department of Transmigration in 1991-1995. Lt. Gen. Purn. Zaini Azhar Maulani then became an expert staff member for the Minister of Research and Technology/BPPT in 1995-1998. In addition, ZA Maulani is also a writer on the military, intelligence and Islamic movements.
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