Ki Hajar Dewantara And Internationale: The Fire Of The Burner Song The Spirit Of The Workers

JAKARTA - Soewardi Soerjaningrat or Ki Hajar Dewantara was once considered a radical figure. His behavior against Dutch colonialism was unquestionable. He dared to publicly condemn and criticize the invaders. He had experienced prison and exile.

There is no deterrent in his life dictionary. He continued to fight so that the bumiputras realized their independence. He has also burned the spirit of the bumiputra workers. One thing made him translate the driving song of world workers: Internationale.

Ki Hajar Dewantara has a big role in the world of Indonesian education. The man who was born in Pakualaman, Yogyakarta, May 2, 1889 is known as a wise figure. However, long before he changed his name to Ki Hajar Dewantara, he was known as a progressive figure who called him a radical.

Soewardi Soerjaningrat, that's how people know him used to be. The man of genres is just like his brother, Soerjopranoto is known to have a high sensitivity to the fate of his people. He saw that the life of the bumiputras was being trampled on by the Dutch colonialists.

This condition made him actively plunge into the struggle arena. He was once admitted to the Doctor Bumiputra Education School, STOVIA. However, he considers STOVIA not the main arena. He chose to make himself more progressive as a journalist.

He began to fight for the fate of the natives through criticism and writing. This condition then made him join as a Three Serangkai with Ernest Douwes Dekker and Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo.

The three of them formed the Indische Partij (Indies Party) in 1913. The triumpriat became a complete package of radical forces against the government. They have a loudspeaker, the De Express newspaper. The newspaper often made the Dutch East Indies colonial government embarrassed.

Their criticisms made the bumiputras increasingly aware of independence. Not to mention their criticism makes everyone -- whatever their ideology is, unite against the Dutch. The attack angered the Dutch. the three were exiled to the Netherlands.

However, exile did not make Soewardi give up. He still has a way of fighting in the Land of the Windmills. He often burned the spirits of the bumiputras educated through his writings.

"We Indies (now: Indonesia) feel that nationalism in our struggle is only a weapon, not a destination. In the first stage, we still need weapons, because the struggle we are currently facing is against the imperialism of the Netherlands. However, democracy is also in our arsenal and this weapon will prevent us from taking wrong steps in our path to independence.

"Hopefully the socialists and the Indies are willing to fight hand in hand, because at this time they are serving the same interests. If the joint goal is not achieved, believe me, many of the current democrats will become democrats. They will flock to take their respective places behind the red banners," said Soewardi Soerjaningrat in an article written on the Het Volk (Netherlands) Daily on August 16, 1917, as quoted by Harry A. Poeze in the bookDi Negeri Para Penjajah (2008).

Assistance does affect Soewardi's struggle style, from radical arena to education. However, that does not mean that Soewardi's spirit in burning the spirit of the native people continues to fade. He increasingly invited all bumiputras to move against the invaders nationalists, communists, and religious.

Soewardi returned to Indonesia in 1919. He saw that the movement of the Bumiputras was getting more and more crowded. Moreover, he witnessed for himself how the Sarekat Islam (SI) of the Semarang branch was on the rise. SI Semarang is not like SI in other cities.

SI Semarang made communism the main ideology in supporting workers and the common people. As a result, SI Semarang is often dubbed the dominant color of world communism. Soewardi was amazed by the emergence of Red SI figures such as Semaun to Darsono.

These figures move against poverty and ignorance. Something that Soewardi is also fighting for. As a result, before Soewardi changed his name to Ki Hajar Dewantara. He first devoted himself to translating the march of socialists, Internationale into Indonesian.

This socialist organization did not only attract them. Hundreds of other youths, such as Soewardi Soerjaningrat, who at that time were 31 years old, were also interested. It was this young man who translated the song Internationale into Indonesian (Melayu)," said Soe Hok Gie in the book Under Red Lentera (1999).

He presented the song to celebrate International Labor Day which falls on May 1, 1920. The song translated by Soewardi was then published widely in the Sinar Indies newspaper on May 5, 1920. A song that later became the mars of resistance to injustice.

The translation of the Internationale song is a valuable provision provided by Ki Hajar Dewantara for the workers. In fact, until now the fire of the spirit of the song is still sung when the state of the nation and state is not doing well. This is the most frequently heard odd:

'Wake up the insulted people / wake up the hungry / blood revenge burning / We fight 'for justice / destroy the old world / to the bottoms / the new world we create / belong to all workers!