Boedi Oetomo Movement That Inspired National Awakening Day
JAKARTA - Every May 20, Indonesia commemorates National Awakening Day. National Awakening Day coincided with the founding of Boedi Oetomo. Boedi Oetomo itself is the first organization in Indonesia that is national and modern.
Boedi Oetomo was founded on 20 May 1908 in Batavia or present-day Jakarta. Boedi Oetomo was founded by STOVIA students, whose characters are Soetomo, Soeraji Tirtonegoro, Goenawan Mangoenkoesoemo, and others.
The establishment of Boedi Oetomo was initiated by Wahidin Soedirohoesodo. As explained in the article When STOVIA Campus Gave Birth to Radicals Who Threatened the Netherlands, the birth of Boedi Oetomo surprised various parties and produced a variety of responses. The closest response certainly came from STOVIA teachers.
They are the closest figures to soetomo and his friends. Quoting Boedi Oetomo: The Beginning of The Rise of National Consciousness (2008) by Gamal Komandoko, some STOVIA teachers were concerned to see Soetomo and his friends actively involved in the Boedi Oetomo organization.
The concerns of STOVIA teachers make sense. However, Soetomo and his friends were still under their supervision and upbringing.
"Their failure to 'build' Soetomo and his friends on the path the government wanted would have made them seem wrong in the government's view. Conditions that make their positions become runyam," Komandoko wrote.
Teachers at STOVIA once threatened to remove Soetomo from the campus. They also accused Soetomo of trying to fight the colonial government. Luckily, Soetomo was defended by his friends. They asked to be expelled as well if Soetomo was expelled.
The establishment of Boedi Oetomo could not be separated from the conditions at that time, where the implementation of Ethical Politics in the Dutch colonial administration towards the end of the 19th century. Ethical Politics is a return-to-favor political policy consisting of three areas, namely irrigation, education, and emigration.
At that time the Dutch colonial established schools for indigenous peoples to improve the welfare of the population through education. The Dutch colonial government established schools for the education of primary school teachers and assistants in the field of public health.
The renewal of the field of education makes anyone who wants to occupy government positions get a Western-style education. Even some regents in Java hold private teaching for their family members.
This kind of policy is certainly not in accordance with the expectations of the indigenous people who received education. It then impacted the emergence of the learned in Indonesia. It was later referred to as the era of national movement, with Boedi Oetomo as his bodyguard.
Role of Wahidin SoedirohoesodoThe realization of boedi oetomo was inseparable from wahidin soedirohoesodo. Citing the History of the Indonesian National Movement (1993) by Nyoman Dekker, Wahidin who is a doctor actively spreading the ideals of the establishment of the organization.
Quoting Kompas, in 1901, Wahidin became director of Retnodhoemilah magazine, a magazine published in Javanese and Malay. The magazine is devoted to priyayi.
Wahidin also tried to improve the people of Java through Western education. Wahidin formed a society with the aim of advancing education and financing children who could not attend school.
Therefore Wahidin has Studie Fonds or Scholarship Foundation. Wahidin's idea was welcomed by STOVIA students in Batavia, especially Soetomo, Goenawan, and Soeraji. After various scales and discussions, Boedi Oetomo was finally established on May 20, 1908.
Boedi Oetomo itself already has a modern organizational structure. R. Soetomo as chairman, M. Soelaiman as vice chairman, Soewarno I (Gondo Soewarno) as secretary I, M. Goenawan as secretary II, R. Angka as treasurer, and M. Soeradji. M. Moh. Saleh, Soewarno II (M. Soewarno), and R.M Goembrek as commissioners.
From 3 to 5 October 1908, Boedi Oetomo held the First Congress in Yogyakarta. The Congress resulted in the composition of the Boedi Oetomo General Manager, AD/ART, and determined the Boedi Oetomo Head Office.
Boedi Oetomo consisting of STOVIA students is the manager of Boedi Oetomo Betawi branch. while the office of The General Manager of Boedi Oetomo is located in Yogyakarta, which is chaired by the RTA. Tirto Kusumo. Not long ago other areas both in Java and outside Java began to have boedi oetomo branch offices.
Some of Boedi Oetomo's figures decided to leave the organization. However, they re-established other organizations that were also influential in Indonesia. Such as Soewardi Soerjaningrat and Tjipto Mangoenkoesomo who formed the Indische Partij with Douwes Dekker. Then there is Tirto Adhi Soerjo initiating the establishment of Sarekat Dagang Islam (SDI) which transforms into Sarekat Islam (SI).
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