Minister of Culture Supports Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana to Become a National Hero

Fadli Zon expressed open support for the proposal to give the title of National Hero to Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA). (IST)

JAKARTA - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon expressed open support for the proposal to give the title of National Hero to Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA). According to him, the thinker, writer, and pioneer of modern Indonesian language has made a major contribution in shaping the identity of the nation through history, culture, and language.

The statement was made by Fadli Zon when he was a keynote speaker at the National Seminar on Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, Indonesian Language, and National Aspiration at the Ahmad Dahlan Auditorium of Muhammadiyah University Prof. Dr. Hamka (UHAMKA), Jakarta, Monday (29/6).

"I support the proposal that Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana be awarded the title of National Hero for his extraordinary service and dedication to the formation of modern Indonesia," said Fadli.

According to him, STA is a visionary figure who laid a foundation for nation-building through three main pillars, namely history, culture, and language.

"Without history, a nation loses its direction. Without culture, a nation loses its identity. And without language, a nation loses the ability to build a common future," he said.

Fadli assessed that the STA's thinking remains relevant in the midst of global changes and technological developments, including artificial intelligence (AI). He reminded that technological progress must go hand in hand with strengthening the character and identity of the nation.

"Modernity provides competitiveness, while culture provides direction and identity. The two are not to be conflicted, but must strengthen each other," he said.

He also invited the public to change their perspective from a European-centric perspective to a Nusantara-centric perspective. According to him, as STA had initiated in the 1970s, Nusantara is not a marginal region of the world, but one of the important nodes of global civilization.

Fadli highlighted the great role of STA in modernizing Indonesian. At the age of 21, STA has written the novel Tak Putus Dirundung Malang, which shows that Indonesian is able to become a modern literary language. This struggle has now reached an important milestone after Indonesian officially became the 10th language at UNESCO in 2024 with more than 300 million speakers in Southeast Asia.

Closing his presentation, Fadli emphasized that cultural development is not enough to preserve the heritage of the past, but must also be a source of innovation, creativity, and national competitiveness in the future.