Fadli Zon mendorong pelurusan sejarah W.R. Soepratman, literasi kepahlawanan jadi sorotan

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Culture encourages the rectification of W.R. Soepratman's history as well as strengthening the heroism literacy for the younger generation. This step is considered important because the life history of the creator of the Indonesian national anthem Raya still leaves a number of version differences that need to be traced and documented more fully.

The commitment was conveyed by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon when receiving the W.R. Soepratman family at the Ministry of Culture Office, Jakarta, Monday, June 22.

According to Fadli, W.R. Soepratman is not only the creator of Indonesia Raya, but also a figure who plays an important role in awakening the spirit of nationalism during the independence struggle.

Therefore, his life story and struggle need to be closer to the younger generation.

"The life history of W.R. Soepratman should be an example. The spirit of nationalism, creativity, and his struggle deserve to be known by the next generation," said Fadli.

He revealed that the Ministry of Culture had carried out a number of programs over the past two years to bring young generations closer to the history of heroes. Among them are letter writing competitions for heroes during the commemoration of Heroes' Day and screenings of W.R. Soepratman's musical works at the National Awakening Museum.

Fadli also supports efforts to recover history related to the life of W.R. Soepratman. According to Fadli, writing a book based on family genealogy and oral sources from the Soepratman family can be one way to straighten out various information that has been developing.

"Not only books, we can also remember his services by repairing the tomb of W.R. Soepratman, adding monuments, to immortalize his name on major roads," he said.

Representative of W.R. Soepratman's family, Agustiani H.S., welcomed this step. He assessed that education about national heroes needs to continue to be strengthened because it is an important part of increasing people's historical literacy.

According to him, rectifying history is not only about remembering the past, but also ensuring that future generations understand the figure who played a role in the nation's journey.

During the meeting, various opportunities for cooperation to strengthen the preservation of Indonesian history and culture were also discussed.

Fadli emphasized that the Ministry of Culture would continue to open a dialogue with various parties in drafting programs to preserve history and culture.

"Hopefully, in the future, there will be more agendas that can strengthen the preservation of W.R. Soepratman's history, including heroism literacy for the younger generation," said Fadli.